Dreamcatcher
by MyLittleSongbird
Summary: Katsu Bakura is a senior year student who, after many attempts to hurt an Egyptian refugee's pride, finds a connection they both share in spite of himself, with the unconditional love for their families and a simple dreamcatcher. (NOTE: Katsurou (or Katsu) Bakura is Yami Bakura. Ryou Bakura is... well, Ryou Bakura. Akefia Bakura is Thief King Bakura.) Contains Thiefshipping!
1. New Partner

Sitting alone at lunch was pretty much the only time I had to myself before blending right into the crowd of hyperactive teenagers. At lunch was the only time I wouldn't be distracted by friends or family, the time where I could just sit down, eat a decent meal, and think. Thinking was what I've tried to do often, but with a such a busy life and a whole lot of requirements that were expected from me really tired me out and rarely ever let me enjoy time on my own.

It had gotten even harder when _he _showed up.

That boy I've been seeing a lot of lately sat idly at the other end of the school cafeteria. In secret, I observed him, watched his every movement; how he ate his lunch, what he even_ ate_ for lunch. He sat with a straight posture, shoulders back, chin high, elbows at his sides. His cutlery neatly arranged to his right. He used a fork mostly, and attempted at chopsticks more than once a week. He was so absolutely strange. Every moment observing him felt like I was learning something new, like I was watching a documentary on how a lion adapts to a surrounding of overgrown zebras.

The funny thing was that not once has he caught me staring. Not once have our eyes met. Not once did he gesture toward me, realize my presence. He was quite possibly the most well known student here. He got good grades and everyone just loved him to pieces.

He stood out like a soar thumb amongst the sea of pale faces and identical uniforms with his darkly tanned skin and amethyst eyes popping against the contrast. His straw-coloured hair and flashy gold jewellery was also something that made him look like he didn't belong here. He was like the black sheep, yet I came to understand how it was his difference that made him so popular.

It bothered the hell out of me how regal he'd made himself seem. Marik Ishtar was bloody annoying.

The bell snapped me out of my trance and I watched as Marik got up so swiftly, a little too gracefully for my liking, and lifted his lunch tray piled high with empty containers to the trash. He ate quite a lot for such a slender boy. Once his garbage was dumped off, he grabbed his lunch box and headed out the room, laughing and playfully bumping his friends shoulders. I snorted and looked back at my sandwich, suddenly losing my appetite.

It was time I left too, though I was in no rush to get to study hall. I re-wrapped my unfinished sandwich and placed it back in my lunch box, carrying it out with me into the hallway. We went separate ways, as our lockers were miles apart from each other. We had no classes together, which I was thankful for, but as rumours spread and nonestop talk about this new _eye candy _went around, I knew almost everything about him. He was a transfer student from Egypt about two years ago, which meant he had to of just learned Japanese, which I thought was ridiculous if someone could learn a language that fast. He probably wasn't even that good at it. He had a big ego and felt the need to act superior often, which was no concern to anyone apparently.

I could remember once he and a few of his other classmates had to go around and spread the news about an animal shelter campaign, and when they entered my Literature class, all the girls fawned over him like Marik was a God from another dimension. Some girls even gushed that the whole room "felt warmer and brighter" and "how beautiful his dark skin looked against the whiteboard". Though not once did he look up from his paper, they even swooned over how brilliant his purple eyes were. Not once did he make contact with anyone. He was like a true fucking prince, it seemed.

It was a journey heading to my locker, lugging around a large backpack of books and shoving through the larger bodies of students. Finally making it to my locker and opening it, I took my books from my bag and shuffled them half-heartedly into the metal box, grabbing out my playing cards and math books before closing it once again.

I turned to see a shorter boy, a girl, and two huge smiles of their faces. I grinned back.

"You ready, Bakura?" The shorter boy, Yugi, asked, his tall and spiky hair bouncing with him in excitement, "Téa has been practising all week for this day. Isn't that right?"

Téa, the girl, rolled her eyes and took out her cards, drawing her eyebrows together in a fearsome expression.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, tea-bag." I winked and led the group down the hallway toward the benches outside.

"I don't care, I'll still kick your ass!" She laughed, "And stop calling me that! You know how much that irritates me."

"Oh, I know, but that's the only reason why I still do it," I chuckled and sat down on one of the benches, Téa and Yugi taking the other side, "You ready?"

"Let's duel!" Téa said with a curt nod.

After the much anticipated duel -and me beating Téa by a long shot- we headed back to our last class of the day. Since I already had that class's books, I headed straight to it, stopping abruptly as a rough hand was placed on my shoulder.

"Bakura," The female voice growled. I turned around quickly to see Miss Yamata, my math teacher glaring down at me, "I expect you know the basics of this weeks lessons, seeing as how your attendance in this class has been lacking," She stated, pushing the stiff, bronze bangs out of her face before handing me a package, "I expect this completed by tomorrow as punishment. Please take your seat."

I stared at the package in disbelief. This wasn't punishment... this was cruelty! How did this teacher expect me to do this entire package -size 12 font, 15 pages, front to back- is less than a day!? But I guess I deserved it, remembering the past few days I've skipped that class to go hang out with Yugi and the others by the park. I already knew everything about my mathematics class and anything we would have learned now would probably just be a recap of the weeks studies before the big test, but I knew I wasn't prepared for it.

I swore under my breath and took my seat hastily, shoving the package into my backpack and slumping forward over my desk.

"And I'll be making sure your brother doesn't help you out with any of that. I've had him in my class before and I know how he writes." The teacher eyed me again, now behind thick rimmed glasses.

Right. Ryou. My genius twin brother who was so supreme in his studies that he attained a scholarship and moved out to work with modelling clay and houseful of architectural jerks. What a joke. I could very well get past this thing alone, even without Ryou's help, but... I knew in my heart I couldn't.

I dropped my forehead to the desk and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly and listening to the student's dress shoes clack against the linoleum floors as they entered, chatting amongst each other and taking their seats. I closed my eyes and then reopened them, shifting over and grabbing out the package from my backpack once again. I might as well get started since I had nothing better to do.

I leaned down to rummage through my backpack for a pencil. I pressed my lips together in frustration when I couldn't find one. Attempting to sit back up, I bumped my head harshly against the desk.

"Shit," I huffed and leaned back in my chair, running my hand over my thick hair, trying to feel for a bump. My stress levels have officially reached a new high. I had no time for this bullshit.

As I leaned down to search for any kind of writing utensil once again though, a shift in the air made me pause. A large, slender, and darkly tanned hand reached down. Flashes of gold blinded me and rich, thick hair along with the scent of spices pushed against my face, filled my nostrils with warmth. A nervous shudder ran through me and I sat back a little to observe this new sight. Marik Ishtar handing me a pencil.

I've never been so close to him before, and quite frankly it wasn't my intention to _ever_ be this close to him. He leaned back up, expression vacant, as he placed the pencil on the desk for me. He grinned, flashing a neat contrast of pearly white against naturally pink lips. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my papers, picking up the pencil and beginning to print my name.

"You're welcome," He said sternly, a little hint of annoyance on his tone.

It was the first time I heard him speak, except for the time he came to my class to present that animal shelter project, of course. But his voice dripped with venomous pique and it made my blood boil. Why was this boy so full of himself?

"Yeah, thanks," I gave a curt nod. I watched at the corner of my eye as his frown turned into a small smile before returning to take his attention back to the lesson.

I looked down at my sheets and tried to ignore him. I couldn't do this now, not with this Egyptian so close to me, breathing the same air as me... Wait a second, since when did he attend this class?

I looked back and watched him open his notebook to a fresh page and begin to print kanji in perseverance. I observed. Even his spelling mistakes were made with utmost confidence. I bit back a groan of impetuous annoyance and decided to try to pay attention to the board as the teacher began jotting down math quotes. I looked over again and finally sighed in defeat.

"You spelled that wrong. It's a_ 'Y'_, not an_ 'I'_." I pointed at one of the words and then peered up at his expression. I expected anger or at least a glare of deliberation. But instead one of his blond eyebrows slowly raised as he studied his work.

"Huh," He said, erasing the mistake and correcting it, "Thanks." He smiled at me again and then continued to copy the quotes on the board.

I gawked at him for a while more and gave up with a shake of the head. My god, what was I dealing with? I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, watching the teacher as she continued to write.

"You know, you should probably write this stuff down, it's all on the test Monday," His smooth voice hummed low, almost into a whisper.

I turned my head to look at him as he continued to copy the notes. I looked down at his paper and chuckled.

"No thanks. I tend to be good when it comes to math. I happen to have a brother who's a genius."

"Yeah, but it's _you_ who has to do the test tomorrow, not your brother." He snorted, "By the way, do you just not like to show up to class often, or what? I've been partnerless for three days now and Miss Yamata basically told me how much of a prick you are when it comes to paying attention."

I raised my eyebrows at him, finally seeing his ego shine through a bit. He looked over at me after a little while of silence and chuckled.

"Sorry, I shouldn't judge based on other people's opinions-" My eyebrows raised a bit in amusement and a grin was beginning to spread across my face, "-but I saw your marks and they aren't all that great." He said, playing with his dangling, gold earring, looking down at my desk. I frowned.

I followed his eyes to my papers. I took the package off my desk and placed it in my bag, looking over at him as he looked back at me. He chuckled again and turned his attention back to his notes. He annoyed me.

"How do you know my grades anyway?" I looked at him finally, making sure the venom was clear in my words, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Miss Yamata showed me. She wanted to tell me what I was dealing with for the rest of year." He laughed, "Apparently you're a real big trouble maker."

I was about to snap back at the insult when Miss Yamata's voice cut me off.

"Bakura, could you please give us the answer to question three on the board?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at me with amusement.

I sighed and stood up from my seat, reading the question and clearing my throat.

"Thirty two," I responded.

"Good job. You may be seated." She nodded and wrote the answer on the board.

I glared back at the Egyptian that sat beside me and watched a smile slowly spread across his face. I made an irritated face and turned back to the board. That was the end of our conversation.

Often enough I could feel his eyes on me, and often enough I wanted to punch the smirk off his face. I peered over at him and saw that he was, in fact, looking at me. It was a look of satisfaction and I couldn't help but tighten my fists. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

**AN: Thanks to those you have decided to read this! Reviews are lovely and encouraged as usual! And don't be afraid to ask questions/leave critique. **


	2. Provoke

"I want a rematch, you know," Téa huffed, bumping shoulders with me as we walked down the side walk toward our houses, "You must have cheated or something, there is no way you could have beat me with the cards I had!"

"I'm sorry to break it to you, tea-bag, but the only reason you lost was because you didn't have any strong monsters in your deck. I mean, it's good that you have weaker ones to sacrifice, but you kept placing them in attack position." I rolled my eyes, pressing the cross-walk button on the lamp post, "But don't worry, we'll have our rematch soon,"

"How about tonight? I have my cards with me and I'm fully prepared to defeat you," She laughed as we crossed the road.

"I would, but I have loads of math homework to do. Maybe another time," I sighed.

"Why not get Ryou to do it?" She chuckled.

"No, he's out of town anyway. And besides, Miss Yamata knows him too well. She would find out right away if he's been helping me," I stopped in front of Téa's front gate and shrugged, "Maybe this weekend if I'm not busy. Sound good?"

"Alright, that's fine by me." She smiled and hugged me goodbye, "Oh, and one more thing."

I raised an eyebrow and then immediately felt a shock of pain run through my left arm. She punched me.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!?" I growled.

"For calling me_ 'tea-bag'_." She winked and closed the gate behind her, "See you tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "See ya,"

It was much quieter now that Téa was gone, and the streets were dead. There was literally not one kid outside playing ball or one adult sitting on their porch reading the newspaper or smoking. It was almost creepy now that I thought about it, but something about this part of town, where me and Téa lived, seemed almost beautiful. It was so quiet that you could hear birds chirping, and the overgrown weeds that grew carelessly on people's front yards and along the side walks rustled in the warm breeze, almost like a lullaby, making everything seem much more peaceful. It was, indeed, a dead part of the city, but it was my favourite, and it was home.

I stepped up the cracked concrete steps to the front door of the broken down bungalow home and unlocked the door with the spare key that hid inside a nearby pot. Once inside, I threw my shoes off and my uniform jacket was tossed onto the back of the couch, and the loud air conditioner spewed out cool, refreshing air, filling my lungs, a nice break from the warm spring weather we've been having lately.

By the sound of something heavy and metallic clashing with the concrete floor, I knew somewhere in the basement a can dropped. A loud "FUCK" made me sure that my oldest brother was downstairs painting again.

I walked over to the door that lead down to the basement and called for him.

"Oh, hey Katsurou! Mind helping your big bro out for a minute?" He asked, yelling.

I joined my brother downstairs and paused when I saw the huge canvas leaning against the wall in which he did most of his art work on. The mass majority of his pieces were a lot smaller than this, with little detail but great colour and texture. He mostly liked to study plants and some scenery, but this one in particular was extremely different from the rest. He was using a human form. Flesh toned colours lined his palette and a starry background was already composed upon the canvas. It was beautiful.

"I need you to sit on that stool right there and kind of pose as if you were looking up at the sky. Can you do that?" He gave a warm smile, adjusting his short silver ponytail before dipping his brush into the water to clean off the paint he used before.

I moved over to the stool and sat there. I gazed up at the ceiling, professionally tilting my head back. I bent one leg and placed it on the stool seat comfortingly, grasping it gently with my right hand as my other rested calmly on the leg that remained on the floor. I tried to envision what it would look like on the canvas, and I couldn't help but feel a little happy at the image.

"Wow, that's great! You should've really become a model or something," He chuckled, beginning to move his brush along the canvas, "Can you actually close your eyes?"

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes.

"How was school, bro?" Akefia asked suddenly.

I looked over at him before being scowled at for changing my expression, and quickly went back into position.

"It was good." I responded.

"Hear from Ryou at all? He was supposed to call today." He said almost in a mumble, "Tilt your head just a little my way."

I did as he said and laughed, "No. Wasn't he supposed to visit anyway? He doesn't have school again until Monday. What on earth do you think he could be doing?"

"Oh, he got a girlfriend, didn't he tell you?" Akefia chuckled, "Maybe he's getting laid."

I snorted, "_Ryou?_ We're talking about little Ryou, remember?"

"Dude, you two are the same age," He laughed, "Besides, I don't find it weird. It's about time one of us gets a partner. By the time I ever get steady would be the day my hair turns grey."

I rolled my eyes, "Your hair is already grey, idiot."

"No, it's platinum blond." He snapped.

"No, mom and dad both had silvery-white hair, that's where we inherited it from." I snapped back, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh my god, stop moving!" He exclaimed, pressing an irritated palm to his forehead. I moved my head back and sighed.

There was a moment of silence until I heard my brother sigh. I glanced over -without moving my head- and saw him looking at the floor. I examined his face, and his scar that streaked down one of his violet eye. I remember when he got that scar, it was from a street fight long ago. He was only 12 years old and he tried to steal some kid's watch. But the kid had an older brother in his senior year who beat the crap out of Akefia when he refused to give the watch back.

It's not like my brother had learned his lesson that quickly or anything, because he's done a total jail time of 26 months from his little klepto issue. It scared him so bad that he's even afraid to apply to jobs anymore, extremely frightened of getting rejected and/or being eager to steal again. So he pays the rent by selling paintings. This was the only kind of home we as three brothers could afford, but it had to do for now, at least.

"I had a dream last night... about mom and dad," Akefia started, breaking the silence.

I looked over at him, turning my head and luckily not being yelled at. Ake looked up, meeting me with large lavender eyes. His eyes were a little blood shot and I wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't sleeping properly, or if he was crying.

"I miss them, Katsu." He whispered, looking back at his canvas with distant eyes.

"Me too," I nodded slowly, still looking at his eyes until a tear streamed down his right cheek, following the movement of his scar, "I do too."

* * *

It was night time and all I could hear was Akefia's constant screaming outbursts. He had nightmares often, usually every night he would wake himself up and go down the creaky hallway to get a glass of water and then watch television for a good half hour before going back to bed. He never had more than one screaming fit a night though, but this time it was different. He wasn't waking up.

I gave it some time before the third outburst came to be. I got out of bed and walked out of my room and across the hall to check up on him. He broke out in a nervous sweat that I've noticed from the dim light of the moon outside, his arms were above his head grasping on to the pillow as if clinging onto dear life itself. Even a vein was protruding from his forehead.

I took his shoulders gently and gave them a little shake, only to be hit with ravishing claws. I stumbled back before touching my face and feeling the cut skin that was now warm with droplets of blood. I sighed and went back in for it, latching strongly onto his wrists and pulling his heavy body forward, away from his pillow, in a seated position. I shook him again and pushed his shoulders back, watching as he fell back onto the mattress with a gasp. His eyes popped open and his hands shot up to touch his face.

"Holy shit," He gasped, trying to catch his breath, "Thank you, Katsu."

"No problem," I nodded, sitting on the edge of his bed, "What was it this time?"

I looked at his face as he closed his eyes once again, trying to calm himself down, "You... ran away from home... and I couldn't find you," He opened his eyes again and looked at me, "I thought you were killed."

I looked away from his piercing gaze and pressed my lips together. He usually always had morbid dreams like that, which continuously reached the same velocity. Now I wasn't sure what exactly created these nightmares, but I had to believe it had something to do with the death of our parents or being locked in a cell.

It's been since he was 12 years old, after being beaten, coming home and having our father yell at him for being a bad kid, and our mother sending him to his room after thoroughly cleaning him up. Ryou and I weren't allowed to speak to him until he_ "smartened up"_.

He didn't smarten up though, even after his 15th birthday, where he attempted at stealing a few things from a store. He got in trouble with the police on many occasions before, always resulting in charges for theft and frequent community service time. But just a little while after Akefia graduated, he was sent to jail for the attempt at stealing a motorcycle. He was there for almost a year and in those months our father fell ill. He passed away just before Akefia was released and shortly after that we had to send our mother away to the hospital to be treated for suicidal behaviour and depression.

Me and Ryou have come to the conclusion that our elder brother believed it was_ he_ who made our parents ill, but we all knew very well that wasn't the case.

"Think you can get some sleep?" I asked softly.

He took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "Can you... uhm..."

"You want me to stay?" I watched Akefia examine my expression for a moment until he nodded and gave a small apologetic smile, "Alright, but no snoring or I'll have to punch you."

He laughed, "Promise."

I crawled under the covers beside my brother and instantly felt a hand brush against my arm. I tried to study Ake's expression in the darkness, but only the profile of his face was illuminated by the moon, though I could feel his breath and I knew he was nervous about falling asleep, afraid of having that dream again. I held onto his hand tightly and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He seemed to relax as his breathing slowed. And sooner or later, he fell asleep.

* * *

The next day I was woken up by the sun pooling through thin curtains, filling up the dark brown bedroom with light. The bed was warm and all I wanted to do was curl up into a little ball and never get up, but I knew that if I skipped another math lesson I'd be in detention for sure.

I grumbled and slid out of bed. I tousled my long, white hair and rubbed the tiredness from my eyes. As I looked back over to the bed, I realized Akefia was already up. He was probably downstairs painting again. I paused and sniffed the air. Was something burning?

I walked down the hallway and stopped at the kitchen doors when I saw Ake cooking. I normally never saw him in the kitchen. Usually I was the one who prepared meals.

"Are you... feeling okay?" I asked, scratching my head.

He looked over and took the headphones off his ears, grinning and tilting the pan to show me just how many slabs of bacon he was frying to a crisp. I rolled my eyes but nonetheless took a seat at the small dining table.

"Since Ryou's little vegetarian butt is gone and we both are deeply connected to the blessing that is meat, I've decided to take advantage of this time and whip up a healthy breakfast." He spooned some soy sauce from a jar nearby and poured it into the pan, the sizzling sound increased tenfold and made Ake jump back a bit in surprise.

"That looks like death on a plate." I grumbled and got up, "I'll make us some toast."

Before we could finish our breakfast -that was dripping in grease, let me tell you- a knock on the door told me that it was time to go to school.

"Tea-bag's here?" Akefia chuckled, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his bathrobe.

"Just on time too," I looked over at the oven clock and quickly scrambled to my feet to get to the door

"Bakura, you're not even in uniform yet! Go get changed quickly! I was late on coming here this morning!" Téa exclaimed and then immediately flushed when she saw Akefia in the kitchen. Her cheeks gained a bit of colour and she smiled sheepishly, "G-good morning, Mister Bakura."

"For the last time, sweetheart, it's Akefia," He winked, very much enjoying watching Téa fluster, "Care for some breakfast?" He lifted the plate to show her and she giggled.

"No thank you, I already had breakfast." She pressed her lips together and then looked at me, "Go on now!"

I rolled my eyes and went to get changed. By the time I got back, Téa had made herself comfortable sitting at the table, her chin rested on her folded hands as she listened -or rather watched- my brother talk about his new composition. My friend's rarely got to see Akefia, so I didn't mind if they talked to him, but Téa had a bit of an obsession over him and it was annoying. I walked over and pinched the brunette's arm, causing her to jump and growl at me like a wild lioness.

"Watch it, Baka!" Her glare immediately softened when she turned to bow slightly to Ake, then got up and led me out the door.

* * *

It was a short walk, Tea couldn't stop talking about a rematch, in which I rolled my eyes at on many occasions. She also brought up topics we've never really talked about before, which to my surprise went down a little too seriously.

"Bakura, I have a question for you... but you have to promise you won't tell anyone, okay? I trust you'll keep this a secret." Téa turned to me, blocking my way before entering the school gates.

I stopped abruptly and raised an eyebrow, "Sure."

"Uhmm... does Yugi ever talk about me? I mean, to you, does he ever say anything... nice about me, I guess." She lowered her voice to almost a whisper, glancing around us I guess to make sure no one was listening in.

"To be honest, he has complimented you many times. Do you ever hear him?" I asked.

The look on her face softened, her cheeks now crimson. She looked down at her shoes and nodded slowly.

"I know, I know, it's just..." She wrung her hands together, "I kind of have a... tiny crush on him."

"Well I already knew that." I rolled my eyes and chuckled. She gnawed on her lower lip and her cheeks burned even more.

"What? Is it that obvious!?" She stammered, staring at me with large, icy blue eyes.

"A little, but naive little Yugi probably hasn't caught on yet." I smiled, she nodded slowly and looked away, "I think you should tell him." I shrugged.

She opened her mouth a bit to respond, but was immediately cut off by Yugi's voice.

"Good morning, guys!" He acknowledged my presence and then looked at Tea, pulling his eyebrows together in concern, "Téa, you look beet red! Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Yugi! Just fine! Let's go!" She nodded to me quickly and grabbed Yugi's arm, pulling him away.

I watched them together, how perfectly they suited one another. It was a little strange though because I couldn't shake the feeling of becoming that third wheel. But nonetheless I sighed and turned around to get to my first class.

"Bakura!" A voice called from behind me.

I looked back and saw that damned Egyptian kid, running to catch up to me. I forced myself not to roll my eyes and instead turned back around and waited until the teen stopped in front of me, leaning over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. When he stood up again, I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by his height. Man, he was tall.

"I wanted... to know... what you were doing... this weekend," He said between gasps.

"Bloody hell, Marik, did you run a marathon or something?" I asked, blowing the white bangs out of my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest, ignoring his absurd question.

"Actually... kind of," He wiped the sweat from off his forehead and that's when I realized what he was wearing.

A blue and white sleeveless wife-beater and matching shorts. White athletic socks were pulled up almost to his knees and his runners were a sleek black colour. He looked ridiculous, but he had great arms for such a skinny bloke...

"I run a few laps every morning. I'm on the swim team," He chuckled and let out an exasperated breath, "So yeah, about this weekend..."

"I'm busy," I said bluntly, lying. Why the hell would I want to spend a weekend with _this_ guy? We weren't even _friends._

"It won't be for the whole weekend, just the afternoon or whenever you're not busy." He shrugged, jogging on the spot.

_'I'm always busy' _I wanted to say.

"I can't. I have stuff I need to do." I said, turning my back to him and beginning to walk away.

"Well, I know for a fact you didn't do that math package."

This irritated me and forced me to turn around and glare at him darkly, but the cocky smile on his face made me want to rip him in half. He was so bloody annoying.

"So _what?_ That's none of your concern." I snapped.

"No, you're right, but I mean, if you don't want to_ fail_ I could maybe help you out a bit. I happen to be great at mathematics. I had the top mark back at my old school." He said proudly, puffing out his chest a bit with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, you may be good at math, you suck shit at writing."

"Then we can work something out: you teach me writing and I'll tutor you in math. How about that?" He asked, an excited smile playing on his lips.

"Or, I have a better idea. You can stay after school with the math club and _they _can teach you how to write. I have no time for this." I growled.

"I'm already part of the math club. They don't teach you to write. All we do is practise equations for the math league." He chuckled.

I groaned in exasperation and took a firm step toward him, finally losing my temper with this know-it-all asshole. Who the hell does he think he is? I grabbed him by the collar roughly, pulling him closer to me, watching his face grow scared. I frowned, looking him in the eyes darkly.

"Listen to me,_ hieroglyphics_, I don't care who you are or how special you think you are here, but some people like to be left alone and have no patience to listen to your constant gloating. So I suggest you take your big ego and your little golden arm rings and shove them right up your-"

"Bakura, are we playing nice?" A familiar, elder female voice asked.

I turned my head to see the head of the Literature department, Mrs. Koa, staring at me, her eyes narrowed and body language strongly slanted in disapproval. I instantly let go of Marik's collar and took a step back from him, looking at his expression and feeling a singe of guilt in my stomach when his wide eyes became a little glossy.

_Shit..._

"Katsurou Bakura, I expected better behaviour from my top student." She stated.

"But, Miss, I-"

"Save your explanations for after school detention." And with a curt nod, she turned on her heel and walked away.

I watched her leave, my jaw locked and mind clouded. This can't be good. I couldn't lose my good reputation with another teacher. This was all Marik's fault, if only he wasn't such a stuck-up little brat, none of this would have ha-

I stopped thinking when I heard a low chuckle. I snapped my gaze to Marik, who was now smiling darkly, hands folded over his chest, peering at me through his bangs and chuckling.

"Mess with the bull, and you'll get the tail." He said darkly.

I stared at him a while longer. This kid... this was all an act? He _wanted _me to get in trouble. He _knew _Mrs. Koa was nearby and he _wanted _her to watch me freak out. He was so... _cunning._

"It's_ horns_." I said slowly, out of pure shock.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow, his whole dark façade vanishing.

"The quote is _'Mess with the bull, and you'll get the horns'_, not tail." I repeated, looking down at the ground in defeat.

It was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the light breeze that rustled my hair. My eyes stung from too much exposure to the open air and I blinked, attempting to comprehend that situation. Marik huffed. I looked back up at him and saw him roll his eyes.

"Anyway, I'll see you later, Katsurou." He waved with a smile, turning around and jogging away.

I watched him leave and I was still greatly disturbed by what just happened. He outsmarted me... He used my own irritation against me, and did it in such a sneaky and conniving way. He was much braver than I thought. I couldn't help but smile. Man, did I hate him.

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are lovely as always. And if you want, don't hesitate to hit the "favourite" button! Just 5 seconds makes a huge difference to me! And I plan to finish this story, that's a promise! :3**


	3. A Disagreement

Literature class went by like a breeze, though a specific evil eye kept glancing my way from Mrs. Koa, obviously extremely disappointed in my little behavioural outbreak this morning. She would've understood if she was in my shoes at that moment, but she wasn't and I knew I had no valid excuses for the way I was treating the boy.

I walked out of the class once it was finished and grabbed my lunch, turning on my heel and heading straight for the cafeteria to get my regular seat. As I entered though, I paused. Marik and his friends had taken my table. I glared at him as those purple eyes glanced up from his food, a smile plastered on his face as he waved me over. I huffed in anger and decided I was going to eat outside today.

* * *

"Hey, Bakura," Yugi smiled half-heartedly at me as we sat at our usual bench during study hall. He placed a concerning hand on my shoulder, which I wanted to so desperately knock off, "You seem really upset today, is everything alright?"

"Just fine," I grumbled, watching as Téa jumped up and down in excitement after defeating me in our rematch duel.

"_Eat worms_, Bakura!" She laughed tauntingly at me.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, okay, you won, whatever." I sighed.

"Wow, way to be a buzz kill," Téa huffed, "What's wrong with you? You normally aren't this moody."

"It's that fucking _Marik _kid. He got me in trouble with Mrs. Koa and now I have detention after school." I shook my head slowly, "This is complete bullshit. I did _nothing_ to the kid."

"Did you grab him by the collar?" Téa asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows. I opened my mouth to detest, but was cut off by Yugi.

"And yell at him while ending with the statement about shoving something up their ass?" Yugi continued with a knowing grin.

"Shut up." I mumbled, looking away from them sheepishly, "I wouldn't have said _anything_ if he would've stopped being annoying."

"You think_ everyone's_ annoying," Yugi laughed, "You even said the same thing to me and Téa, but look at us now, we're all best friends." He looked up at the brunette, who crimsoned slightly and nodded in agreement.

I sighed. I didn't want to admit it, but it was true. My meanness and unwillingness to get along with anyone had really caught the attention of Yugi, causing him, in all of his power, to befriend me. Then came Téa who we met in Physical Education class. We were inseparable from that day forth. Like that would _ever_ happen with me and Marik. Marik made me angry to the point where my chest got tight and my palms would sweat, and quite frankly I had no idea why he made me act that way but he just did and I didn't like the feeling.

I watched as Yugi so cleverly brushed his fingers across Téa's hand, causing her to blush slightly and smack his hand away. I smiled and sighed. I guess they were right. I was always in a bad mood, but I just figured it was because of all the crap I had to deal with in everyday life.

"Maybe you should apologize, start over," Téa suggested with a shrug, "I mean, he _seems_ like a decent guy from what I've heard."

"Yeah, decently _condescending. _If I wanted to make friends I would go over there and talk to Joey or Tristan or something. I'd rather be beaten to a pulp than befriend that bloody_ Egyptian_." I snorted.

"Wow, Bakura, are you racist?" Yugi blinked in surprise.

"W-what? No, I didn't mean it like that! _I'm_ part Egyptian! Why the hell would I be racist?" I snapped.

"I don't know, just asking," Yugi shrugged, "But seriously, there's something you two could talk about! Your backgrounds!"

I rubbed my temples. The last thing I needed was another person knowing about my background and my life and pestering me about living alone and all that crap. I just didn't need it.

* * *

It was math class next and I stalked into the room a minute late, all the other students already took their seats. I looked around the room and saw only one seat was empty. The one next to Marik, who was looking down and writing something in his book. I sighed and dragged my feet as I slowly made it to my seat. I sat down quickly and sideways glanced at Marik. He didn't look up, so I looked down at what he was writing and grimaced at all the spelling errors. I wanted to so desperately point them out to him, but I held my tongue between my teeth and turned my attention back to Miss Yamata as she began the lesson.

The whole time that class went by Marik had been writing. Every time I looked over though, his hand was up like a wall, shielding his work from my view. I wanted to growl at the inconvenience, but I knew it was exactly the kind of reaction Marik was looking for. I knew he liked to play games and this was just another of his mind tricks to get me to speak up and get into trouble again.

My palms became sweaty as I wiped them against my blue uniform pants, attempting to listen to the lesson but constantly being distracted by the consistent scritch-scratching of pen against paper.

I just couldn't take it anymore.

"My house, 7th door to your left on Gingy Avenue. Five o'clock. Don't be late." I mumbled over to him.

"I have a better idea." Marik said in an unrecognizable confident voice. I looked up at his sly expression as he slipped me a piece of paper, "My house. Here's the address. Four o'clock tomorrow. Don't be late. We're having seafood."

I stared at him, but slowly retrieved the paper from out of his fingers and heard him chuckle lowly.

"Fine," I growled.

"Good." He sneered, glaring back.

"Boys, is there a problem?" Miss Yamata asked, looking in our direction.

"Not at all, Miss," Marik's expression softened as he examined my face, "Not at all."

* * *

It was almost time to go home, but I stayed behind due to my detention. It was help in my Literature classroom, which was fine, at least I had an excuse to skip out on hanging out with Marik this weekend. I would just merely say I was grounded and that was that.

I leaned back in my chair and watched as Mrs. Koa walked into the room, a paper or two held between her fingers. She placed them on my desk and I sighed. What was a little easy literature going to do? I got out a pencil and began with my name, and then stopped.

This wasn't literature.

"Seem a little_ strange_, Katsurou?" Mrs. Koa chuckled, "That's because I had a little chat with your mathematics teacher. She told me you were having a hard time completing assignments. You've been slacking off in this class too, which doesn't really make sense, and then I see you bullying a poor boy out in the yard today. What has gotten into you? You were _never_ like this before."

I ground my teeth together and looked away from her pitiful expression. I didn't need pity, I just needed a break. A long one.

"So, Miss Yamata and I have decided that, starting today, you will be assigned an important task..." She paused to look over at the door, motioning her hand as if trying to call someone over. My heartbeat sped up as I tried to calculate the possibilities of it being Marik... "I'm partnering you up with a tutor."

My heart stopped in my chest. My blood turned to ice. My palms started sweating again and I wanted to scream in horror.

"Hi Katsurou!" Marik waved excitedly, smiling like an idiot. He couldn't be serious...

"Mister Ishtar has explained everything that happened this morning to me. It seems you two were just chatting about an incident that happened with you and your brother. Isn't that correct, Mister Ishtar?" Mrs. Koa smiled, looking at Marik as he nodded happily.

"Yes, Ma'am." He looked back at me with dark eyes, "That's exactly what happened."

I couldn't help but shake with nervous tension. This guy was seriously a psycho.

"So, Mister Bakura, I have Marik here to tutor you in math. Since you two are clearly good friends and both take the same class, this is a great opportunity! This boy is _phenomenal_ with his interaction skills!" She nodded, my fists clenched. "I'll leave you two alone for a minute, I just have to run a few errands and when I get back, you're free to leave."

She left.

Marik closed the door slowly after her and then turned back around to face me, his smile gone and a slight tinge of frustration showing in his expression.

"What?" I spat.

"Why do you treat me like I'm some kind of monster? What have I ever done to you?" He asked, standing his ground.

I examined his face for a twitch of a smile. I knew he was faking this whole worrisome façade so I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"You're annoying." I said dully.

"We have never even _talked_ before until yesterday! I've seen you around school and at lunch sometimes but as far as I know, we have _never_ stepped foot in front of each other nor shared a single line of dialogue. I just don't understand who you think you are."

"_You _don't understand who I think _I_ am?" I yelled, getting up from me seat quickly and glaring at him, "Well quite frankly _I_ don't understand who you think _you_ are! You come to this school, assuming you own it, wearing your flashy rich kid jewellery, acting like you're hot shit, spitting in people's faces, for god's sake. You have no idea how to fit in like the rest of us!"

"Of course I don't know how to fit in! I _was _born and raised in Egypt, so I have dark skin. I wear this jewellery because it's in my family's tradition and I think I'm _'hot shit'_, as you frigging Japanese call it, because back where I used to live and go to school, yeah, I guess I _was _hot shit! _Everybody_ liked me back home. I don't understand why I moved to this shit-hole and have to become acquainted with shit-hole people like _you_, but nothing ever turns out the way we want, right?" He was literally red in the face and piping angry. I could feel the real denseness in the air as Marik continued to outrage. I realized this emotion wasn't just his impeccable acting. This was true emotion and I could feel it. I could almost bloody _smell _it.

I felt a little bad then, but I couldn't make my anger settle down, for once it peaked, it was extremely difficult to stop.

"At least your mother isn't in the hospital with suicidal thoughts and your father died from cancer and you have to live with your two brothers in a shitty, broken down house where you can barely afford the the rent. Your older brother has to make and sell paintings for a living because he can't get a decent job due to the fact that he's a fucking_ thief_ and _never_ sees the light of day. The only one I depend on at this moment are the people who actually appreciate art, and my other brother who's off to fucking college, using scholarship money to pay for it, and rarely ever gets to see you because he's a _fucking liar _and is too caught up with his own life to give a _shit_ about you anymore_!_" I burst.

I was so angry that I couldn't think anymore. Steam was practically barrelling out of my ears and my vision was becoming slightly blurrier by the second. I couldn't help but break down. I didn't cry, I just fell to the floor in defeat and exhaustion. I've said too much and my body was completely drained of energy to go on. I didn't want to argue. My mouth was dry and my chest ached. My head pounded and my eyes stung with the need to cry, but I didn't. I couldn't cry. Not in front of _him._

"I guess we aren't so different after all." I heard his voice then, soft and sorrowful, like a kicked puppy.

I couldn't look up but I knew he was staring at me. I could feel it. I wanted to know what he meant by that. I wanted to jump up and demand he explain himself, but I didn't. I stayed on the ground. I was slightly startled when I saw a tanned hand come into view, palm upward, fingers stretched. A gold ring tightly wrapped around his middle finger. It shone and sparked a hint of anger deep in the pit of my stomach. I looked away from it and finally glanced up at Marik, his eyes watery, I slightly sad smile playing at the corner of his lips. I gritted my teeth and pushed his hand away, helping myself up instead. I wobbled a bit and then held steady.

"I need to leave. I-I can't..." I breathed heavily, looking away from those piercing violet eyes.

"Maybe some day I'll tell you_ my_ story." He said softly. I looked at him, sadness reaching his eyes as he stared at the ground. He suddenly looked up at me and smiled softly, "Have a good weekend, Katsurou."

I froze in place, staring at him until he looked away and pushed past me to exit. His voice cracked when he said my name. He faltered when he said goodbye. I watched him leave the room quickly. My instincts told me to chase after him and apologize, but I was stuck on the spot and couldn't move. What the hell was wrong with me?

* * *

"I'm such an idiot." I sighed.

"Why's that?" Akefia asked between chews of yet another bacon sandwich.

"Because I just _am_. I told a complete stranger about my whole life out of anger." I sighed, "And now he wants to relate and become friends with me."

The look on Akefia's face was that of shock and worry. I almost raised an eyebrow until he cut me off.

"You even told him about... our parents?" He asked quietly.

I hesitated before nodding. He blew air out from his cheeks and put his sandwich down. Then he looked down at his hands and it became silent.

"Did you tell him about me?" He asked, his tone frighteningly low.

I paused, seeing his sad expression curl onto his face. I shook my head quickly.

"No," I lied. He looked up and nodded slowly, reassuringly.

I nodded too, mostly to myself though for doing the right thing. Well, of course lying wasn't _exactly_ the right thing to do, as everyone knew very well, but when it came to protecting your family and even their feelings, anyone would've done it. Akefia didn't like people knowing about his past, but he also knew he couldn't keep running away from it.

"What did he do that was so horribly wrong that you don't even want to speak his name?" Akefia asked, back to his sarcastic self. He finished his sandwich and patted his stomach with a delightful belch.

"That was gross dude," I chuckled, he laughed back and I frowned, looking at my uneaten sandwich with a sigh, "That's the thing, he did _nothing_ wrong, I just knew from looking at him that I didn't like him."

"Well, you shouldn't judge a person by how they appear." He said, sipping his cola and raising his eyebrows.

"When did _you_ become my fucking counsellor?" I rolled my eyes and took a mighty bite of my sandwich.

"Hey, watch the language," He warned me with the point of a finger. I rolled my eyes and he smiled, "I think you should invite him over."

"Tried that."

"And?"

"_He_ invited _me_ over," I sighed, "But I don't think he wants me over now... with the way I freaked out at him like that."

"He sounds really annoying." Akefia nodded in agreement.

"You have no idea." I huffed and ate the last bit of my sandwich, "I'm going to get diabetes because of you."

Akefia punched my shoulder before picking up the dishes and bringing them over to the sink.

I folded my arms over the table and rested my head on them. I had to understand what I was going to do. There was a lot me and that inflated Egyptian boy could talk about. Our backgrounds, as Yugi suggested, and our classes, and now our lives. Something in the pit of my stomach stirred when I heard a crinkling noise come from my pocket as I moved to stand up. I slipped my fingers into the uniform jacket and retrieved the small slip of paper.

I pressed my lips together when I read the address that was printed in neat kanji. I looked back up at Akefia as he washed dishes. I sighed.

"Hey, Ake," I started.

He looked over at me and smiled, "Yup?"

"I think... I'm going to visit him." I looked back down at the piece of paper, "To apologize and stuff."

"Sounds good. You might want to do that tomorrow though, since it's already getting pretty dark outside," I nodded and put the paper back into my pocket, getting out of my seat and walking toward my bedroom.

A strange feeling came to mind when I entered my bedroom, what was I going to wear? What did _he_ wear? How was his family? How do I act in front of them? I shook my head and tried to empty my thoughts as I land on my back onto the spring mattress. How do I apologize? I've never had to apologize to anyone before. And what about his parents? Did he even have any?

I groaned and sat up, folding myself in half and grabbing my knees, looking at the white wall on Ryou's side of the room. I needed to sleep, I could feel myself grow more tired by the minute the longer I stared at that wall, but the sound of the television made me think about Akefia.

I knew he was lonely. When I was at school, he was alone. When I went out to hang out with my friends, he was alone. Ryou's never home to keep him company and he doesn't even have friends to talk to. He never goes out, and when he does, it's only to buy groceries where usually the only attention he gets are from the security guards who monitor him like hawks as he browses the shelves, making sure he doesn't take anything. It's really discouraging._ I_ wouldn't want to go back to a place like that if I were in that position either.

I sighed and got up from the bed to walk down the hallway, holding onto the wall and peering at the TV. Akefia was watching a sitcom, something he often did when I wasn't there.

I walked around the couch and sat next to Ake. He looked at me, silent, but then smiled and moved over a bit for my comfort. I smiled softly back and rested my head against his shoulder. I could tell the sudden movement of affection startled my older brother, because I usually was never this clingy, but nonetheless a comforting arm wrapped its way around my waist, pulling me closer so that my head now rested on the flat plane of his chest.

We watched TV for what seemed like hours as Akefia's fingers often twisted themselves through my hair. The low hum of the voices on the screen and the slow heartbeat that was thumping in my ear and the calming play of my hair was all lulling me to sleep. So calming.

* * *

**AN: Thank you for those who are still reading! Reviews are great and encouraging! Thanks again (:**


	4. Early Vexation

He stood there in the midst of the dark and smouldering hot room, not looking at me, his back facing me, head hung. I wondered what he was looking at, but the surrounding was dark. Pitch black, to say the least. He was staring at his feet maybe, his hands balled up into tight fists, golden jewellery that had no glimmer this time clung loosely to his wrists. He was breathing heavily as well, mist rising above his head and disintegrating into thin air.

I knew it was Marik, but... he didn't _seem_ like Marik. He seemed a lot angrier and tenser than I've ever noticed before. It made me slightly worried. Maybe_ I_ caused this? Was Marik depressed? Did I remind him of something from his past? I never meant to hurt anyone...

I tightened my fists as well. I was angry. But I wasn't angry at the Egyptian boy... no... I was angry at _myself_. How could I have let my emotions control my life? Why was I like this? Why did I constantly hurt people out of my own selfish reasons? They were all valuable questions, but quite frankly nobody knew the reasons behind them.

I sniffed the air when I felt a wafting breeze hit me. I looked away from Marik and up into the dark atmosphere. I saw smoke. Was someone cooking... eggs and bacon?

...

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" I heard someone yell.

What the hell? It seemed like I only just closed my eyes. The last thing I remembered was watching television with Akefia, him chuckling at the joke that was said on the sitcom. I could feel the warmth was gone though and that my body was laying limply on my side. I tried to move a bit and felt the muscle around my back ache in discomfort. Why did the couch seem much more comfortable at night time?

The dream I had disturbed me slightly, left a depressing linger in my chest, but I tried to push it away. I told Akefia I would apologize today. I was nervous as hell though, I was never the one to apologize, especially not about something I've caused. I opened an eye slowly and saw the whole room was lit up by an unfamiliar pool of yellow light that was reflected off of the clean white walls. I _did_ fall asleep on the couch. I opened the other eye and slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position, wiping the drool from the side of my cheek and peering around at the atmosphere. It must have been around ten o'clock in the morning.

"Good morning, Kastu!" Akefia chuckled.

I turned around to look at him. He was wearing his red bath robe, his silvery hair a bundle of mess atop his head. A large coffee mug was gripped tightly in his hand as he winked at me and took a sip. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I could have used _at least _another hour or two of sleep. Couldn't Akefia tell I was a little bummed out yesterday? And then, when I looked up after rubbing my eyes, I almost jumped. I quickly blinked the stars away and, when they cleared up, I saw two other people at the dining table.

"R-_Ryou?_" I asked, dazed and confused as I slowly tried to wake up and fix my hair at the same time. I was a little surprised he decided to come home.

"Nice to see you, bright eyes!" He laughed, "This is my girlfriend, Miho Nosaka." He introduced this petite, lithe young girl who was standing idly at his side, a huge smile spread across her face, her wide, deep purple eyes staring at me. It was a little unsettling, especially for someone to be this happy so early in the morning, but she was cute I had to admit.

"Nice to meet you, Miho, I'm Katsurou." I nodded, watching as she bowed a little in greeting, colour arising onto her cheeks. I wanted to smirk and send a wink at Ryou, but I knew it was unlikely to go unnoticed by Akefia, who was watching me intently like a hawk.

"N-nice to meet you, Katsu!" She bowed again cheerfully, nervously. Akefia probably had to deal with the same thing earlier, seeing as all the young girls seemed to swoon over his bad boy appearance and half-naked presentation. I prayed daily that maybe he would try on a pair of pants one day, but he always wore his stupid robes, no matter who came over. I could bet any money that he wouldn't even change for the _Prime __Minister_.

Moments later -when I got dressed in something a little more appropriate- we all sat around the small dinner table. English tea was served along with bacon, eggs, and sautéed tofu for the _cauliflower_ I call my brother. Miho even tried the tofu, enjoying the taste and mixing it with the rest of her meal. I appreciated a girl with an appetite, but something about her eyes didn't put my mind at ease at all. She seemed a little tense, maybe even a little afraid. I wondered why.

"So, how'd you two meet exactly?" Akefia started, wiping his mouth, as usual, onto his sleeve, but Miho didn't seem to mind.

"Well, Ryou entered the art supply shop I work at one evening and we got talking. I really enjoy sculpture and painting and it was something we both had in common. So he invited me on a date, a little outing to talk about our passion further and I just sort of fell in love," She clung onto Ryou's arm and smiled joyfully up at him

He gave her a small smile back in which she playfully nudged him. I cringed. Not at the display of affection, but at the word she used. _'Love'._ What was love anyway? She used it so fluently and Ryou didn't seem phased by it at all, actually he seemed to _enjoy_ the use of the word, seeing as he smiled down at her just as the first letter came out of her mouth. This made my stomach flip. It wasn't right. It wasn't right at all. How could someone _'love' _someone else they had only just met?

"Oh, I also forgot to mention, we picked up a few things for you while at the shop, Akefia. I hope you like them, they're just a few brushes and this new gold paint that was on sale." Miho smiled at Akefia.

"Sounds great, thanks Miho!" Akefia grinned widely, "How long do you suppose you'll be staying with us? I could make you a bed somewhere." He shrugged and smiled sweetly at the young girl. She flustered and looked up at Ryou, who chuckled.

"Oh, no worries, she'll be taking me and Katsu's bedroom," Ryou smiled and then looked at me with a hint of caution in his tone, "You don't have a problem with that, right, dearest brother? We could sleep out here, since you already seem to be rather comfortable sleeping in the living room anyway."

_"Why don't you two just sleep in the same bed, since you _love_ each other so much?"_ I wanted to growl, but the look Akefia was giving me made me silence even my mind. Why was he always looking at me like that? Did he know my thoughts? Nonsense.

I looked back at my bushy-haired twin and narrowed my eyes slightly, I almost spat at him as he smiled cheekily and turned his attention back to Akefia for support. Ake looked at me again and clearly saw the concern in my eyes, but he chose to ignore it and nodded happily at Miho. Bastard.

"Sure!" He laughed and then sighed a little, "But uhm... Ryou, did you tell Miho about..." He cleared his throat and gestured to himself.

Oh right, his nightmares. I looked at Ryou in amusement, wondering what he'd say about that, and noticed he was also thinking. He nodded slowly and looked at me, seeing my expression and narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, I mentioned it." He looked away and back at Akefia with a smile, "She says she has no problem with it,"

"Yeah, no problem whatsoever! I have a baby sister who usually screams a lot during the night too, so I've grown used to it." She said with a quick nod.

Ryou chuckled as Akefia's face burned a brilliant shade of red. He looked down at the table, now silent. The discomfort sent out a strong aura, and I supposed Miho sensed it, because she soon gave him a small smile, attempting to apologize, I guessed. I rolled my eyes. Miho was being disrespectful. She probably got that beautiful trait from hanging out with Ryou too much.

"Well, your bro over here has a hot, _annoying_ date this evening, so he wont be joining us for dinner tonight." He winked at me.

"What the hell, Akefia," I growled, glowering at him. He knew how Ryou got when someone mentioned me having a potential interest in someone else. I had to admit it was rare for me to have a girlfriend. I've only had two real ones in my entire life time, which didn't end so well. But even so, this "date" was not a date. How could Akefia do this to me? Heat burned deep in my stomach.

"_Really?_" Ryou looked at me with happy brown eyes the size of saucers, "You have a girlfriend, Kastu? Is it Téa? I hope it's Téa. She's lovely!" He was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement, like a fucking five year old on Christmas. I couldn't help but let a tiny annoyed growl escape my throat.

"Well, first of all, it's _not_ a date," I pointedly glared at Akefia and watched him grin slyly, "And second of all, no, I don't have a girlfriend. I am merely going over to a friend's house to-"

"-to apologize for being an asshole." Akefia finished with a little laugh.

I looked at him, watching a smug smile spread across his dark face, my innards burning with rage as he chuckled. He thought everything was just_ so_ fucking hilarious.

"Oh, makes sense." Ryou giggled and looked over at Miho, "He has anger management issues."

"I do _not_ have bloody anger management issues, you fucking wanker!" I slammed my hands against the table and got up quickly, knocking the chair back onto the floor, steam filling my ears.

Everyone was silent. Miho looked downright scared out of her mind and I immediately felt bad. I realized the moment I saw her eating with us that she felt intimidated, and I realized how much worse I had just made the situation become for everyone. Ryou narrowed his eyes at me, his mouth hanging open as if to say something, but he remained silent. Akefia crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me in surprise, every ounce of idiocy clear off his face. The anger wouldn't leave my system though as hard as I willed it.

"Wow, Katsu, you seriously need to know how to take a joke." Ryou said softly, turning back to Miho, "Sorry, Miho, sometimes he gets like this."

I pressed my lips together and growled internally, wanting to yell so many provocative things at the two imbecile brothers of mine, but decided it was better not to discomfort Miho any further. Pushing myself away from the table, I decided to leave while I was still somewhat sane. Stalking toward the door, I heard Akefia call my name like a concerned father would after his child disobeyed his order. Quite frankly, Akefia wasn't my father. Nobody could ever be my father and I didn't have to take order from someone just because they were older than me. I pushed myself out the door with my school bag, though only my books, playing cards, and loose change were in there. I didn't care, I needed a break from my family anyway.

I trudged down the street, kicking angrily at the weeds that passed my view. I hated being made fun of in front of company, especially from my own brothers who understood I had issues. I never made fun of Akefia for always wearing a bathrobe and shunning the outside world, nor did I tease Ryou for being a know-it-all nerd who spends more time in front of a mirror than any girl I knew did. I would have_ never_ been that cruel or condescending to my own family.

I walked past Téa's house, not even caring to check if she was home or not. I didn't want to talk to her right now and let out my anger and ruin any more people's lives. I just wanted to run away.

I stopped when I reached the cross-walk, looking at the ground and waiting for the sign to switch to "go". I held up my school bag firmly and shuffled around for my cell phone. Maybe I could talk to Yugi, he was the only one who never took my hurtful words to heart. He enjoyed helping out his friends and I desperately needed his comfort. But my cell phone wasn't there. Instead, my fingers caught something else, and my mind went blank as I slowly pulled it out. Marik's address. I closed my eyes and then looked up when the sign changed and assured me it was safe to cross. I walked across the street rather quickly and once I was on the other side, I looked in the direction of where the address lead. Should I just get it over with now? I frowned. I didn't need his comfort.

I walked to the bus stop and waited patiently on a bench, looking down at the writing and curling the end of the paper mindlessly.

"_I guess we aren't so different after all."_

I huffed. What did_ he_ know?

Oh, right... everything.

"_Maybe some day I'll tell you _my _story."_

I closed my eyes and sighed. The bus rolled up just as my brain was starting to render more hateful thoughts, halting to a stop and noisily opening it's doors for my entry. I slowly stepped on and inserted some change into the coin acceptor before walking down the isle to take my seat. I walked straight to the back of the bus and sat at the window, looking out into the warm horizon and beautiful blue sky. As the bus started to roll, I heard a light tang sound come from outside. I raised an eyebrow and looked up from my seat as the bus halted to a jerky stop, I guessed that noise came from someone tapping on the glass door.

The doors opened with a ghastly squeal as a taller person stepped on board, popping change into the coin accepter quickly and cutting off eye contact behind a large, deep purple hood. And then, they looked up, and eyes illuminated in the darkness of the shelter by the morning sun. Big, violet eyes.

Marik...?

It was indeed Marik, I could tell by the skin colour of his hands. He looked a little scared to see me and I understood why. He quickly looked away and took his seat right at the front. I internally sighed with a mix of depression and frustration, but I was thankful not to decide to visit his home. The last thing he wanted to do was to see me. He was the only other person on the bus... why did he look so suspicious though? It was beautiful weather outside, there was no need to wear that ridiculous hoodie.

I played with my thumbs and then looked back out the window. I didn't know where I wanted to go, but I would probably just end up stopping nearby Yugi's house. Maybe I'd push him to ask Téa out already. I chuckled to myself darkly.

"Is this seat taken?" A familiar voice asked.

I looked up to see Marik, his hood still on. Not only did I notice how much larger he appeared with the bulky hoodie on, but I also noticed he held a heavy-looking sack strapped across his shoulder. It was a nice day outside and I was out in just a light t-shirt. It was almost painful to imagine how hot he must have been wearing all that. I shook my head slowly and watched him smile, taking the seat right next to mine and finally pulling his hood off, leaning back with a sigh. He closed his eyes.

I examined him. He looked extremely tired. Dark circles were under his eyes and his hair was a little stressed and unkempt. I pressed my lips together. I guess he wasn't mad or scared of me after all.

"Are... are you okay?" I asked softly.

His eyes slowly opened and he glanced over at me, giving me another small smile and nodding slightly.

"Didn't get much sleep is all, but I'm fine." He sat up straight again and rubbed his neck, looking at me, "You look a little rattled as well. Are_ you_ okay?"

I cleared my throat and nodded slowly, "Yes, well, I had a little argument with my brothers, that's all."

"Understood." He said.

It was silent for a few minutes longer until the bus stopped. I heard shuffling beside me and quickly looked over to see Marik stand up.

"Well, this is my stop. I'll see you on Monday, I guess." He nodded to me and then walked down the isle.

I gritted my teeth. I was feeling a little better, but should I join him? He did look very tired and maybe he wanted to have a rest or something. But I knew if I didn't go then I probably would never get myself to apologize. And before I knew it, I was at my feet and Marik was looking at me with a raised eyebrow, his hood back on his head.

"Did you want to join me or something?" He asked, a coy smile playing on his lips.

I opened and closed my mouth several times before giving a firm nod of my head. He rolled his eyes and laughed, cocking his head to the side. I got the queue and hurried to follow him, making sure to grab my school bag in the process.

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**AN: I hope you all who are reading this enjoy it! I love writing about these characters and I hope you love reading about them! Also thank you guys for the reviews and private messages! It's really encouraging :D**


	5. Meeting The Ishtars

"This is my house." Marik gestured toward the tall building.

It was a long walk to get there, and the whole walk was silent. The only sounds made were from the city cars and playing children. The neighbourhood was much more pleasing than mine, a little more lively and civil. It wasn't as peaceful, but I guess it was pretty decent. The sidewalks didn't have weeds growing from them, and instead chalk drawings and bicycles and abandoned helmets were everywhere. There weren't many kids outside, but the few that were had themselves busy playing basketball.

Marik's home was in the middle of two others. It was a lot bigger than my bungalow, that was for sure. It was neat and had clean, crisp looking side panels in a pale yellow colour. Colourful flowers surrounded every window pane and at the front of the heavy burgundy door held an Egyptian sundisk, the red ruby in the centre glowing brilliantly with the sunlight. It didn't go with the overall appearance of the home, but it was still a beautiful piece.

Marik opened the door and I held my breath upon entering the home. I was a little hesitant when I saw all the beautiful, expensive-looking décor littering the main entrance. Paintings and photographed scattered along the rich, red walls neatly. The luxurious dark hardwood floors were just gorgeous in contrast with all the golds, reds, and blues that were seen in every glance. A large chandelier hung low on the ceiling as well. A staircase lined with soft, white carpeting led to the upstairs, where in the peripheral I noticed a long and flat slab-like fixture encased in glass. I took a silent sniff and realized the scent to be the one Marik always seemed to have on; warm and spicy.

"Holy shit..." I breathed.

"You can leave your shoes here, there's slippers in the closet." Marik wedged his shoes off aimlessly and then slid his bare feet into gladiator sandals. He wore his shoes with bare feet? I cringed.

"Your home is beautiful." I commented, opening the sliding paper door and finding some sandals.

"Thanks. It was all Ishizu's design," He chuckled, "She's my older sister."

I nodded slowly and followed him into the next room, which I understood to be the dining room. He handed me an apple and I gladly thanked him and took it. He bit into his own apple and held it in his mouth as he unzipped his jacket and took out two more full bags from inside. I raised an eyebrow and watched as he placed them on the table. He reached into the pockets and pulled out a couple of lighters, a few candy bars, and a packet of gum. He then threw the jacket over the back of one of the chairs and emptied his large satchel onto the ground, which contained a bunch of food items, mostly frozen and wrapped fish, along with a bag of brown rice and lettuce. So I guess he did the shopping.

"Odion, I bought the groceries!" Marik yelled loudly, making me jump a bit at the sudden change in volume. He looked at me and smiled, holding up one of the frozen fishes and pressed it against my arm, "Feesh dinah," He mocked in his best Miss Yamata impression and laughed. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but laugh too.

"You remembered the gum too, right?" A voice quickly faded out upon entry of the dining room.

I turned around to see an extremely tall and muscular man stand at the doorway, his eyes widening and his jaw closing as he looked at me. I waved shyly. It took him a while before slowly waving back, his green eyes flickering over to the side and then back at me. I bowed slightly.

"You must be Odion," I said, trying to use my utmost courtesy, "I'm Katsurou Bakura."

"Ah, Marik's new friend," He said slowly, his face relaxing a bit.

My chest felt tight at that title and I wanted to look back at Marik to see him snicker, but I decided to just go along with it.

"Hey Odion, what's with all the-" A lady appeared next to the man, also very tall herself, and quite lithe. She looked at me, only she had a more accepting reaction. Her head tilted slightly and her lips parted, big blue eyes scanning my entirety before blinking and looking over at Odion, then at Marik, "Marik, who's your friend?"

"Sis, this is Katsurou," Marik said, bumping me with his arm. I fumbled and then bowed slightly, "He's joining us for dinner and but we're going to study for the math test in my room."

It went quiet and I looked at the lady, Ishizu I guessed, as her face softened slightly. She still seemed slightly annoyed, but Odion was smiling now. That's when I realized what they were wearing... what they were_ all_ wearing.

Ishizu wore a light beige blouse and a long, willowy white skirt that almost reached the floor. She had sleek, black hair that pooled over one shoulder and ran into a smooth braid, held by a few gold rings. Her eyes were lined with traditional Egyptian makeup. She was very beautiful. Odion, on the other hand, wore a maroon wife-beater and a pair of khaki pants. It was less traditional-looking than his sisters apparel, but it still looked utterly crisp and strangely mainstream. And he had a tattoo... on his _face_. It literally took up a good fifty percent of his left cheek and it was inscribed with hieroglyphics. It was completely badass, I had to admit. These people took ancient Egypt a little too far, in my opinion. I also noticed he had a long, black ponytail spewing from the back of his head, but everywhere else was shaved bald.

Then I looked at Marik. His jacket was finally off and I could see he wore a light, lilac shirt that hung off one of his shoulders, and dark blue track pants. His choice of outfit seemed a little inappropriate and very... _feminine_, but I ignored it. They all wore gold arm bands as well, which was another thing that reflected light in this house.

"Katsu really likes what you've done with the house, sis," Marik said with a bright smile.

A flicker of amusement flashed across Ishizu's bronze face as she smiled at me finally.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it. It's not every day we get visitors with good taste," And with that, she turned and left.

I looked over at Marik and noticed his smile was gone, but it wasn't long until it returned. He held the frozen fish back up and handed it to Odion, the big man taking it and smiling as well.

"You're going to love Odion's cooking, he's a pro," Marik jumped in excitement, "Did you need help with anything?"

"No, it's alright, Ishizu and I can take it from here," He nodded and walked over to gather the other things from off the table, "Marik, take your coat and hang it up please." Marik sighed with exasperation and took his coat off the chair. Odion rolled his eyes and then looked at me with a kind smile, "You can stay as long as you want. Dinner should be... a while," He glanced up at the clock on the wall and chuckled, "It was nice to finally meet you, Katsurou."

_Finally _meet me? This gave me a strange feeling deep in my chest, but I nonetheless bowed and smiled. So these people already knew about me for a while? How was that possible? Me and Marik had only known each other since Friday...

I was then dragged away by a tight grip on my arm. I hesitantly followed Marik up the stairs. He didn't turn around or say anything, but he brought his jacket up with him, which I thought was a little weird, bringing a jacket into your bedroom, but I dismissed it and looked around at all the pictures of the three of them hanging on the walls. A couple of baby pictures were up too, at which I smiled.

And then it hit me... where were Marik's parents? I guessed that maybe his parents were like mine, either deceased or ill. Maybe that was what he meant when he said we weren't so different.

"This is my room, we can hang out in here for a bit, I just need to get changed," Marik said, sliding open a paper door to reveal a monster of a bedroom, "Be right back, make yourself comfortable." He grabbed a pile of clothes from off a chair and then skipped past me.

I watched him disappear into the next room over. I was hesitant of walking into his bedroom with sandals, but I shook the feeling and stepped in, looking around in amazement. This family was definitely well-off.

The walls were painted a royal blue with golden fixtures everywhere. His bed rail itself look like it was made from pure gold, or at least gold-plated, mimicking that of vines that swirled up and held leaves that were encrusted with blue jewels. The bottoms of each rail looked like lion claws, holding up the bed from the hardwood floors, which seemed to be the theme of the entire house. A couple paintings were hung neatly on the wall alongside a few band posters, but besides that, there really wasn't much else. White, cotton-looking curtains hung from a large window adjacent to his desk area, which was as neat as can be. The chair that Marik recently grabbed a pile from was similar to the bed, a royal blue cushion covering the top, looking similar, if not the same, colour as the puffy comforter.

And then something caught my eye. Hanging from the top bed rail was a necklace of some sort. I walked closer to it and touched the material. The strap that goes around the neck was made from leather, I could tell, and the pendant itself, probably about the size of my hand, was wrapped in a tainted yellow chord, a similar colour of thread was woven through, looking vastly similar to the web of a spider. Five tear-shaped beads in the same tainted yellow colour hung around it. It was actually such a beautiful piece, but it didn't match the overall scheme of the bedroom and seemed very out of place.

"I see you're taking a liking to my dreamcatcher," Marik's voice caught me off guard. I almost dropped the necklace as I hung it back up quickly and turned around to face him as he placed his previous outfit into a metal box hanging beside his desk, "I bought that before we moved out of Egypt, kind of as a reminder of my home land, so to say. It was said to keep the bad dreams away."

I immediately thought about Akefia. This dreamcatcher... could I find one here in Japan? Maybe it was just some bogus voodoo crap, but if it could help Akefia than maybe I would get one fore him...

I watched the blond as he slowly approached me, reaching past my shoulder and taking the necklace off of the bed rail. He looped the string around his neck and admired it himself. I noticed something in his eyes as he looked down at it. Maybe it was longing? I had so many questions, but I decided to let them go. If he wanted to share his life, than he could.

"I noticed you were looking at the pictures on the wall on our way up here," Marik said, looking up at me again. I nodded slowly. "And anything seem off to you about them?"

I knew he was playing me again as he raised a playful eyebrow and smirked. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, but I cleared my throat nonetheless and nodded.

"Usually when I see family photos, I tend to see the whole family, not just the kids." I said slowly, "You mentioned earlier that we had a lot in common. Maybe you could tell me what happened to them?"

"Yeah," He chuckled and twirled on his heel to fall onto the bed. He gazed up at the ceiling and then his eyes flickered over to me, "You can sit if you want."

I hesitated before sitting on the plush comforter, my ass immediately sinking into the soft sheets. I wanted to purr at the softness but I knew that would be highly inappropriate. I looked over at Marik and he played with the hem of his plain, black t-shirt.

"In my homeland, maybe you've heard on the news, there's a tragic war going on over oil," He sideways glanced at me before looking back up at the ceiling, almost as if he were examining the golden chandelier that hung high onto the rough, white surface, "Things got pretty bad, so we were forced to move out of the country. My family was torn apart that day, my father joined the army and is currently trying to fight for our land. It's no telling what would happen, whether he may die or survive, but the war could last a century for all we know," He sighed, "This home is something we've owned for a while as a time-share. A few years before I was born this whole neighbourhood used to be a resort, did you know that?"

I shook my head slowly, looking around the beautiful room once more. Was he happy living here? He seemed like it but maybe it brought bad memories back.

"What happened to your mother?" I asked in a low tone, trying to keep the mood relaxed, but the silence that followed was rather eerie.

"She died giving birth to me."

My chest clenched painfully at the words. I looked at him, watched his unmoving and expressionless face stare at the ceiling, longing reaching his eyes once again. I could tell this conversation was taking a painful tow, and I wanted to move away from it, but Marik took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"She passed just seconds after having me. Ishizu and Odion were in the courtyard shopping for supplies while my father held me in his arms, just watching my mother die away, not a care in the world." He huffed.

"How do you know that?" I asked, a little agitated that he would assume his father careless.

"He told me." Marik looked into my eyes then. I gaped at him and then slowly shut my mouth. His father told him that? Why would someone say such a thing?

I wanted to tell Marik that maybe his father meant to say that there was nothing he could have done, that sometimes women die while giving birth and all he cared about at that moment was keeping his newborn safe, but I couldn't suggest that to Marik, not after giving me that look of anger that burned deep under those pools of brilliant violet. And then I remembered what I needed to say, something I thought he needed to hear.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, looking down at my hands.

"It's not your fault my dad's a jerk," He said and sat up.

"That's not what I meant," I shook my head and watched as he looked at me with an eyebrow raised, "I... wanted to apologize for yelling at you. For judging you. You see, I had no idea about your life until now,"

"And even so, you shouldn't have mistreated me. You shouldn't mistreat anyone you know nothing about," He gave a small smile, "But I forgive you. Odion taught me to try not to take everything too much to heart and I guess that's why I liked teasing you so much, because of how you reacted. I had a feeling you didn't like me but I didn't want you to hate me so I tried to have some harmless fun with you, but I guess I didn't understand what kind of person you were."

I nodded slowly and blew out the air from my cheeks, looking away from his gaze, trying to distract myself from the fuzzy feeling that started coursing through my stomach whilst I apologized.

"You know, you're a good listener." Marik smiled even wider then, "The friends I have now at school don't even know I'm not living without my parents. They don't know a fraction of the truth behind me but I'm glad I can talk to someone like you. I could feel a connection, if that doesn't sound too weird," He laughed halfheartedly.

A connection. It was true too. It was almost like I was beginning to really connect to this strange boy, and maybe I was. I didn't feel anger toward him anymore. Maybe a little jealousy, but nothing extreme. I practically jumped at the feel of a heavy hand being placed on my shoulder. I looked back at Marik and his eyebrows were in a straight line.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked. I nodded, "Why were you on the bus anyway? Were you planning on coming over?"

I pressed my lips together and sighed, "Well, after the fight with my brothers I just left the house. I couldn't deal with the embarrassment. Ryou likes to get on my nerves often, that bastard." I locked my jaw when I thought about what our argument had been about. I clenched my fists at my side, trying to control my anger.

"Ah," Marik let go of my shoulder and I could feel the bed shift as he moved across the room. He picked some invisible lint off his dark green cargo pants and then looked back at me, "One of your brothers has that thieving problem, right?"

I cringed at the term and sighed, nodding a little.

"Does he get nightmares because of it?"

This made me straighten up. I locked eyes with Marik and I could feel my eyebrows raise dramatically before pulling them back down in thought. How did he know about the nightmares? I don't ever remember telling him about those.

"How do you know?" I asked quietly.

"Well, when I mentioned the reason behind the dreamcatcher I couldn't help but notice you mouth the name 'Akefia'. Now, I could be wrong, but I don't recall ever knowing your eldest brother's name, only Ryou's. So I put two and two together," He shrugged and smiled. Wow, he was good.

I gulped and nodded slowly.

"And the name Akefia sounds Egyptian, but 'Bakura' doesn't. How does that work?" He asked, propping on his desk chair now. If he were a dog, his ears would have been perked up in interest, his tail wagging back and forth excitedly.

"Oh, well," I cleared my throat, "We're part Egyptian. Like, probably a quarter, if not less. Akefia seemed to inherit my grandmother's skin pigment and eye colour, so my parents named him after her husband who passed away a long time ago. Ryou and I, however, were just simply named after the kanji for 'reality' and 'victory'. I'm not too sure why though."

Marik laughed and nodded, "Why haven't you told me this earlier? This would have been a cool subject to discuss during math."

"Well, quite frankly we weren't on very good terms, you and I." I said a little too bluntly. I looked at Marik apologetically and watched him roll his eyes. I smiled.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, getting up from his seat.

"Starving," I nodded.

"Well, let's grab some lunch." Marik motioned for me to follow as he pushed the paper door aside and walked out.

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**AN: Thank you for the reviews! Very much appreciated! And sorry for all the descriptions and such, I just really love the idea of the Ishtar's**** being these beautiful, perfect, rich kids and** having this huge house decorated from top to bottom in fine art. It's a guilty pleasure of mine :P


	6. Life and Art

**AN: Very long chapter, I apologize!**

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We were back in the dining room and from a far distance I could hear the two older siblings chatting quietly amongst themselves. Looking at all of them in the same room made me really see how diverse their senses of style and way of presenting themselves really were. Ishizu liked to keep tradition, as Marik had told me while eating our rice. Odion usually wore anything that he liked or thought looked good. Marik on the other hand liked to mix and match things that he knew shouldn't be worn together, he called it 'going against the grain' or something like that. His favourite thing to wear were vests, crop tops and cargo pants. Crop tops was something I could never imagine him in though, and I wasn't sure I wanted to.

After lunch I couldn't help but think about my brothers. Were they looking for me? Was that Miho girl still around? Marik saw that I was distracted and a few times he tried to get my attention back to the task: our homework. He was trying to help me with math but my mind kept drifting elsewhere and he finally got the hint.

"Maybe you should go back home," He suggested softly, though it sounded more like an invitation to leave.

I looked at him and shook my head slowly. He pressed his lips together and sat up on the bed, carrying the text book onto his lap and sighing.

"If you can't focus on the work than there's no point of wasting my breath," He frowned. I glared.

"I'm just... a little worried, that's all." I watched his face soften a little before looking back down at the papers, "I don't have my cell phone or anything so I don't know if they're trying to find me or what."

"You can use the house phone if you'd like. All you had to do was ask," He gave me a small smile, "They probably are worried about you. They don't know who I am or where I live."

I nodded slowly and decided to finally call. My insides turned as each ring passed by and finally clicked.

_"Hello?"_ Akefia asked. I sighed as I was glad to hear his voice, _"Who is this?"_

"It's... it's me, Ake," I looked down at the floor, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm alright."

_"Oh my god,"_ Akefia breathed over the other line, his voice a little shaky and muffled. I closed my eyes tightly as I heard him start to cry, _"Fuck, Katsu... we were worried sick about you. You didn't take your phone or anything... Ryou thought you'd be at the park, but you weren't. We asked Téa... Yugi..."_ His voice cut out and continued hysterically sobbing.

I bit my tongue and swore to myself. I should have at least left a note or told them where I'd be... but that was the thing, I didn't know I'd end up here.

"I-I'm not coming home for a while though," I looked over at Marik as he picked the dirt out from under his nails, looking at me and giving me a small encouraging smile, "I just need some time by myself."

There was silence and I could tell Akefia was stressing out. I could almost hear him pacing across the living room, clutching the phone with both of his hands and trying his hardest not to scream in frustration. Marik suggest I go home whenever I thought the time was right.

_"O-okay... if that's what's really best for you, fine."_ He said in defeat, a little bitter tone hinting in his voice, _"But at least tell me where you are so I know you're okay."_

I looked over at Marik again, but he wasn't paying attention. His eyes quickly snapped up when I told Akefia who's house I was at. It was hard to decipher what kind of reaction Marik had to me telling my brother where he lived, but by the warmth in the atmosphere I could only imagine it was alright though.

After dinner was finished I thanked the Ishtar family for their hospitality and then noticed the upset look on Marik's face. What the hell did he expect, that I sleep over or something? I would be seeing him again on Monday anyway, so it wasn't like I was moving away.

"Our home is always welcome to you, Katsurou," Ishizu bowed her head as she cleaned up the dishes, Odion rushing to help her after shaking my hand and bowing gently as well.

Marik held my school bag out for me as I slipped my arms through. I was ready to say goodbye until Marik handed me a jacket. I looked over at him and noticed he had slipped on a jacket as well.

"Oh, Marik, there's really no need to escort, I'm pretty sure I can find the bus stop myself." I said, handing him back the jacket. He chuckled and then held out something else to me. I looked down at it and pulled my eyebrows together in both concern and confusion, "What is this?" I held up the hard, shiny and round object.

"It's a helmet." He laughed and pulled one onto his head, snapping the belts that hung at the sides under his chin, "It's for safety." And with that, he pushed me out the door.

"I don't understand. Are you one of those strange people who always thinks they're in danger or something?" I asked, being dragged aimlessly in the dark and then let go of. The street light did little to illuminate the backyard, but by the rip-roar of an engine I quickly realized what was going on.

A motorbike drove past me and into the driveway, being fully lit by the street lights. The bike was a beauty.

"This here is my Harley, a Sportster 883. She's a sight for soar eyes, am I right?" Marik revved the engine for dramatic effect and then patted on the leather seat behind him, "Hop on, Barbie, I'll take you home."

I grimaced at the nickname, but nonetheless slammed my helmet on and hesitating before hooking my leg over to secure myself to the seat. Marik grabbed both of my wrists and then tugged them, sending me flying forward into his back. My arms were instantly wrapped around his small waist and he demanded I hold on tight. He revved the engine again, kicked up the foot stand and then pushed for take-off.

A pump of adrenaline coursed through me when Marik turned onto the roads. A sense of danger and action had me almost squealing with excitement, but that was completely out of character for me, so I kept it inside my head. I didn't open my eyes until about five minutes later, and when I did, I wish I hadn't. We crossed over a train track and the bumps jolted me almost out of the seat, but I mindlessly wrapped my legs around Marik's, holding on for dear life as he laughed and sped up. It was a nice feeling, having the open air whip past you. The wind made my white locks dance in the dark sky, and the smell of warm spices filled my nose yet again when I felt Marik lean back a bit. We were cruising gently now and I could almost imagine the Egyptian having his eyes closed and his chin held high, feeling every aspect of freedom he could muster.

We turned onto my road after reminding him of the directions, and he pulled up right to my home. It took a while to feel my legs again, but when I did, I slowly unhooked them from Marik and slid off the steel horse. I shook violently as the chilly air got to me. I couldn't understand why I didn't feel it when riding on the bike, but I guessed it was from the intense heat radiating from Marik.

"Well, did you have fun?" He asked, turning to me and taking off his helmet to flick his golden hair.

I rolled my eyes but nodded, smiling slightly. I_ did_ have fun. I even enjoyed talking to him about our families and lives. The motorcycle was obviously the best part, but I kind of felt bad for not realizing the kind potential behind those violet eyes.

They seemed bigger now and I realized that Marik had stepped closer to me. I raised an eyebrow and took my helmet off, watching his intense stare with curiosity.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

Marik chuckled and looked at the ground, "N-nothing, I'm just glad we're friends," He peeked back up at me and smiled.

I gaped at him. Friends... with _Marik_... I thought this day would never come, and I never _wanted_ this day to come, but now I was kind of feeling a sense of relief that he forgave me so easily. I nodded slowly and watched as his face lit up like a light bulb.

"I honestly never thought I'd say this but... I'm glad too." I smiled softly.

He almost squealed and then I completely froze. Arms were wrapped tightly around me. Strong arms. The strongest arms that have ever held me. It was comforting and somewhat soothing, and not to mention warm. I gave in and hugged him back, almost pulling him closer in an eager way, even though it wasn't what I wanted to apply to this moment of sentiment. A hand petted my hair and I felt something in my stomach turn. I instinctively pulled away, watching as the confused expression on Marik's face turned into a sheepish grin. It was strange...

"Well... goodnight, Katsurou." Marik bowed in silence and then stuck his helmet back on.

I watched him drive away before turning to face the house. I took a deep breath and walked toward the porch, feeling uneasy and extremely nervous to face my brothers again. I mean, it wasn't necessarily my fault to begin with, the only reason I ended up running away was due to the fact that I was trying to run away from my problems, which at that point meant Ryou and his mouth. But then again, I guess it technically still was my fault after all. I was the one with the anger management problem nonetheless.

I leapt up the three steps to the door. Once it was opened I couldn't help but get the feeling I was being watched. The house was pitch black, not a light in sight besides the dim lamp on in the living room. A light shuffle of fabric had me spun around on my heel to see Akefia who was leaning against the couch. The dim light barely caught his silhouette but by his messy, shoulder length hair and slouching demeanour I knew it was no doubt my older brother.

"Ake..." I whispered and flicked on the kitchen light. When I saw him smiling cheekily, his deep purple eyes narrowed, showing both curiosity and a 'well, well, well' look. I decided to show him my sympathy instead of acknowledging his attitude and bowed slightly, "I didn't mean to leave you guys like that."

"Katsu," The grin didn't leave his lips, but he pushed himself off the couch and took a few long strides toward me and wrapped his arms tightly around my chest, squeezing me tightly, "Don't worry, I understand. It was my fault for pushing it too far anyway," Akefia held me head close to his chest, comfortingly. He then pulled away and looked at me, smiling normally, his eyebrow wriggling in curiosity, "So, _that_ was your date?"

I snorted and punched his arm playfully. It was nice to have Akefia go back to the teasing that wasn't so hurtful, I found it enjoyable. But then I looked up after a while and the look on Akefia's face told me he wasn't kidding, his smile gone and his eyebrow raised. I immediately stopped laughing and opened my mouth to say something, and then changed my mind. Did he really think I was...?

"It wasn't a date... that was Marik," I spat, getting a little unsettled at the accusation.

"Hey," Akefia threw his hands up in surrender and chuckled, "Let's not have a recap of what happened earlier, deal?" He put out his hand toward me with a soft, forgiving smile.

I rolled my eyes and shook his hand firmly.

"But, wow, he's quite the charmer, I have to admit," He grinned with a wink and then nudged my shoulder, "I'd like to see his sister."

"She's gorgeous, actually." I laughed and walked my way into the kitchen to grab a glass and fill it with water,, "Maybe one day I'll invite them over."

"Uh... I'd rather you not, Katsu," He said before following after me and leaning his hip against the counter, "I don't like strangers visiting the house,"

"No, you just don't like strangers visiting _you_." I huffed, "And besides, what about Miho? She's a stranger, you let her visit." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yeah well, that's a different story" He turned his voice down a couple notches and looked all over before continuing, "Ryou kind of just decided to show up with her, I really had no choice but to let her in."

"I heard that," Ryou chuckled, entering the kitchen and grabbing an apple, "I put Miho to bed. I guess we should get the couches ready, right?" He looked at me with a smile and big doe-like eyes.

I rolled my own eyes and followed him to get the sheets from the linen.

The next day I wasn't awoken by any arguing or wafts of freshly made breakfast, only silent whispering was humming through the air. I opened my eyes curiously, the sun blazing, blinding me. It must have been later in the day though because the faint sound of a radio was buzzing and I knew it came from beneath the floorboards. Akefia was painting again.

I sat up slowly, the tiredness running from my veins like molasses as I stretched my aching joints. I got off of the mattress and rubbed my eyes. Nobody was around. I hummed in slight boredom as I made my way to the bathroom. At least I could maybe get a brush through my hair before anyone needed me.

The doorknob to the bathroom stuck a little, so I jerked it a few times and then popped it open. The shower was running. I rubbed my eye again and then swore under my breath when I saw a silhouette through the thin shower curtain. I took a step back and then did a double-take when I heard voices.

"Want to wash my hair for me, babe?" A soft voice asked with a giggle. I widened my eyes in amusement as I saw the the silhouette had split into two and that was when I realized what was going on.

I clasped my hands around my mouth and held in a snort as I slowly walked back out of the bathroom and closed the door silently behind me. I waited until I was far from the door to burst into laughter. This would be a perfect comeback for the way Ryou had embarrassed me yesterday...

I stopped laughing and instead frowned. No. I had to learn how to control myself. If not for me, than for Akefia. I sighed and sat down at the dining table, creating circles into the wood with my finger nail. I wondered what I was even going to do today. I could work on that math homework... but I'd need help. I decided I would ask Ryou once he was finished "washing Miho's hair". I couldn't help but snicker.

I glanced at the time and almost gasped. My jaw locked as I read the numbers over and over again. 4:35... PM!? How could I have slept that long! My entire day was practically almost over! I quickly ran to my school bag and grabbed out my math homework. I slammed it onto the table and grabbed out a pencil as well. Me and Marik had already done the first 12 or so questions, but I still had about 22 left to go and they were long... I shouldn't have procrastinated. Maybe if I called Marik...

"Hurry Miho, I think Katsu's awake!" I heard Ryou harshly whisper from down the hallway, followed by a girlish giggle and wet, stomping feet patting across the wooden floor. The door shut quietly and quickly and more giggling and some excited squealing was heard followed by teasing monster growls and a faint _'I'm gonna get ya!'_ from Ryou.

I chose to ignore them. It was no fun teasing when you were a one-man player. Instead I grabbed out my cell phone. I was going to call Marik, I didn't even care. I was bored and I needed help with this math, and maybe he could also help me tease my brother... but that's when I realized I never got a chance to ask for his number. I groaned miserably.

I had to ask Akefia for the number, since I remembered I had given it to him whilst using the Ishtar's phone. As I walked down the steps to the basement though, I couldn't help but pause. I heard silent whimpering and I knew that was Akefia. Was he crying? The denseness in the air told me that that was exactly what was going on. I couldn't imagine why though. Maybe it was my fault for running away?

I sat on the top stop and leaned my head against the rail, watching the darkness and listening to the whimpering that was slowly starting to turn into light sobs. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ake?" I asked quietly.

A rough sniff and the crying stopped. I waited for a subtle response, but I didn't get one.

"I'm sorry I ran away," I said.

Apologizing was becoming like second nature to me, though I knew it was sincere. I was sorry I ran away, it wasn't the right thing to do. I was being a coward and Ryou made sure I got the cold shoulder I deserved last night. And I did deserve it. It pained me to think so, but every curse word and accusation used against me last night while me and Ryou laid on the makeshift bed in the living room... I deserved it. And I knew that even though Akefia seemed to forgive my absence easily, his eyes told me that he was still struggling with the thought of losing another family member due to his carelessness. I felt bad.

"Come here, Katsu," He said, his voice hinting sadness.

I immediately got up and walked downstairs. He was sitting on his painting stool in front of the large canvas that was faced the other way. He didn't look at me. His eyes were half-lidded and staring at the canvas. I wanted to raise an eyebrow, but instead I walked a bit closer and stopped just before he gestured toward the large composition.

"Tell me what you think." He said.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and slowly walked to Akefia's side, taking my time to turn around and bestow upon the artwork. I couldn't help but take in a sharp breath, my eyes widening ever so slightly. This piece... was outright beautiful.

The entire canvas was covered inch-to-inch with a mix of navy blue, black and deep purple, faint white streaks sashaying along the dark sky. There were dots, millions of them, covering the entire background, but as I looked closer I realized that each dot had a distinctive aspect to them. They looked like stars! It must have took Akefia a millennium just to paint out each one. And then my eyes saw the figure. There was no doubt it was me, using the same pose I had done a few days ago to help him capture the emotion. My god, there were vast amounts of emotion in this piece.

He painted me to match the atmosphere; dark and a little faded, as humans in the night were made out to look, but something else was catching my eye and it was definitely not hard to miss seeing as it was the brightest, whitest thing painted on this entire canvas. My hair.

It was painted in a way to swirl and blend in with the astronomical Milky Way in the sky. My hair represented part of the sky, swirling and feathering out, standing against the darkness of the night. And then I thought about the motorcycle ride, how my hair seemed to dance in the wind and illuminate against the darkness. How surreal, right?

"Wow..." I breathed.

"I worked on it all night." He admitted quietly. I looked at him and saw him rub his eye, "I don't want to have nightmares anymore, Katsu." He shook his head and sighed, "I want to be normal and not be afraid anymore, but I just can't get myself to do it."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked back at the painting. I thought about the dreamcatcher and what Marik has said about it; _"It was said to keep the bad dreams away."_

"It's beautiful." I commented. And it was true, this painting was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and it made my insides turn drastically and my head and heart pound with ecstatic emotions. I couldn't describe it.

"Thank you." He whispered, "You know, I have to tell you something kind of important... just promise me you won't get mad."

I looked at him. He looked severely depressed. I wondered what it could be and was beginning to feel a little uneasy.

"I haven't... stepped foot outside in over two years now."

What...? My eyebrows instantly raised. I couldn't help but stare at him, his saddened face, his dark skin... was it even healthy to stay indoors for that long? I opened my mouth to respond, but quickly closed it when a tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly and sighed, his fingertips touching the faint scar on his cheek.

"It's bad, I know." He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

"Then how do you...?"

"Buy stuff?" He took his hands away to look at me, purple irises scanning my face, "I call a delivery service... And I pay them..."

"Ake..." I said quietly, pressing my lips together and willing myself not to get angry at him. I couldn't get angry at him though, I understood why he was afraid of leaving the house, but I never knew it was this extreme.

"I'm sorry... I know I lied to you guys. I already told Ryou and Miho during dinner last night, but I wasn't sure how to tell you knowing how angry you'd get and all for me not even making an effort." His voice broke and so did my heart.

All fury left my body when I looked at him. I wanted him to try, I wanted him to look life straight in the eye and release himself from the iron bars we called 'fear', but how would I have given such advice when I myself could never take it?

I gave him a soft, forgiving smile and then hugged him tightly, staying like that for a while as we both admired the composition for what seemed like hours.

After dinner a little while later -seeing as I woke up in the middle of the evening- Ryou and Miho decided to go out. I stayed at home, even though Yugi had called earlier and asked if I wanted to hang at the mall. I didn't want to leave Akefia alone due to the fact that he was looking rather depressed. Ryou had caught on too, stealing sideways glances with me whilst we all ate dinner in silence. Even if Akefia didn't want to talk about it, I still promised myself I wouldn't leave him alone until he was feeling better.

"Did you want to watch a movie? I still have the Japanese dubbed_ 'Labyrinth'_ I took out from the library," I suggested. Akefia looked up from his hands and shrugged. I gave him a small smile and went to my bedroom to retrieve the DVD.

Once we were settled down with a bag of chips and a bowl of microwave popcorn, we watched the movie. It was silent and strange without Akefia's usual commentary that he did constantly during films, and the way he sat was unlike him. He sat with his legs crossed Indian-style, bent over in a painful-looking arch as his elbows rested on his knees, hands holding his face in place as he stared unenthusiastically at David Bowie on the screen. I rubbed my forehead and sighed.

When the two others came back, it was around ten at night. We all went to our rooms and Akefia tried to sneak downstairs again, but I told him he should get some rest. I knew he would be back to normal as soon as he was sleeping again.

I huddled into the makeshift bed and soon after Ryou came to take the other. He was smiling dumbly as he pulled the sheets over his chest. He turned on his side to look at me though and raised an eyebrow.

"So, did you find out what's wrong with our brother?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah," I sighed, "But, to be honest, he's been afraid since day one."

His smile quickly flipped upside-down, "No, he's been afraid since dad died." Ryou said softly. I shot him a stern look but he seemed genuine as he stared up at the ceiling now, "I mean, it's been hard on all of us, but Akefia didn't even get to say goodbye. The last sight of him was anger, watching dad bicker and curse as his boy was being pulled away by the cops to get barred. I'd be afraid too."

"But Akefia doesn't want to steal things anymore," I argued.

"We don't know that for certain, but we do know that he's afraid of being tempted. He blames himself for what happened to our parents so he probably assumes that being put in jail again would harm us as well. First it was the fear of entering stores, and it's just gotten as bad as not even being able to leave the house. I mean, it's not like he has many friends to go visit anyway. They all left him a long time ago," Ryou said softly.

I stared at him a little while more until I looked up at the ceiling too. That would be hard, especially knowing how much of a badass Akefia was before he was sent to jail. I remembered the day like it was only yesterday, all the roughness and rebellion from Ake's eyes vanished when the police cuffed him in front of our house, the entire family stood out there, including me and Ryou, watching as our big brother was slammed roughly into a cop car and driven away. He's changed a lot since then, but it was the change that made him a better person, more enjoyable and comfortable to be around, but it was also a hassle in itself. He was practically scared of his own shadow.

"Do you think he'll ever find love?"

It was a question that I found myself looking back at my identical twin, his hands disappearing behind a mass of silky, white hair, his big brown eyes staring at nothing in particular, far away in thought.

"Well, someday." I shrugged, "You already got someone, it's only a matter of time before Akefia finds love too." I didn't want to think about love, even speaking the word was difficult.

"And what about you? Or do you even _believe _in love anymore?" Ryou turned his head to look at me.

I scoffed, "Why would you assume such an absurd thing? Of course I believe in it."

"Now, now. I wouldn't be so sure about that, Katsu," Ryou sat up slowly, "Like the look you gave Miho after she mentioned falling in love with me? You said it yourself when we were younger too, that love was a stupid marketing concept."

I sat up quickly and glared at him, "Ryou, we were probably ten when I said that. How would you know anything at all? You haven't even been home for the past four months, nor have you bothered to call."

"Oh trust me, I know. You haven't had a girlfriend in forever and even Téa apparently isn't your type. You haven't met a single girl or talked about a single girl at all." Ryou smiled darkly. I knew he was trying to get under my skin, and I had to hand it to him, it was working marvellously. "In fact... you're still a virgin, aren't you?"

I felt my insides twist and turn, my face getting hot. I opened my mouth to say something, but my throat closed up. So what if I never had sex? That was none of his business. It tore me up how to answer his question though, if I should lie and gain his false respect, or if I should come clean and let him have his fun in teasing. There was nothing wrong with not having a girlfriend, but apparently to the slime-ball brother that was smiling at me now, it meant everything. The smile faded into a grin on Ryou's face and the shadow that cast over his eyes told me he knew exactly how this was all going to play out. He was looking for trouble.

"You're a fucker, Ryou." I growled.

"Just answer the question, Katsurou, I promise I won't judge." Ryou put up his hands in surrender, "I'll tell you if you tell me."

I didn't care about his sex life. I knew he got busy with Miho, so I didn't need to know any details.

"I'm not a virgin," Ryou flashed his gaze down the hallway, toward the bedrooms, "And Miho's not the only girl I've made scream."

"Shut up!" I yelled, steam finally blowing out of my ears, "That's disgusting."

"There, you just admitted it; you think love is disgusting," Ryou leaned closer to me and winked, "You'll understand when it comes time for you. If it ever comes time for you, that is."

I gritted my teeth and in a flash I was holding Ryou's shoulders firmly, pushing him against the wooden floors. He stared up at me in shock, his mouth agape, attempting to laugh, only to let out nervous giggles. I slammed his shoulders into the floor and stared into his eyes.

"Apologize, you fucking wally!" I hissed, gripping tightly onto his hair, threatening to rip out a chunk.

Ryou just laughed and shook his head slowly. I felt hard, firm hands grip onto my arms and before I knew it, I was pinned against the floor, an arm pressing firmly against my chest. Ryou looked angry, glaring at me. It was a little terrifying, he usually never looked like intimidating. And then white noise filled my ears. My eyes were staring at the wall now, a sharp painful heat spreading across my jaw. He punched me.

I blinked a few times and was sitting up suddenly, tasting metal in my mouth. A flash of blue hair invaded my vision as Miho wrapped her arms around Ryou. He was settled down, but he still looked at me angrily.

"What the hell is with all the arguing?" Miho asked, clearly concerned as she looked from me to Ryou and back to me, "Are you okay, Katsu? My god, you're bleeding."

I was about to nod, but my jaw suddenly ached and my ears began to ring again, but I ignored it when I heard an eerie sound coming from elsewhere.

"Akefia..." I whispered, mostly to myself as the faint whining from down the hallway grew louder. Sooner or later, blood curdling screams filled the house. Miho stared frighteningly at me as she clutched tightly onto Ryou.

"That is definitely not a baby," She whispered.

I looked at Ryou and he looked back at me, fear slipping into his expression. I quickly got up and ran down the hallway to Ake's room. He was thrashing about, worse than ever before, ripping the sheets off his body. Ryou and Miho must have joined me as well because I was soon watching the two as they attempted to calm down the adult.

"What do we do? What do we do!?" Miho cried, tears filling her eyes as she backed away slowly.

Ryou looked over at me pointedly and I quickly joined him. We both tackled Akefia; I held onto his arms and Ryou held onto his ankles. I quickly straddled his waist and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him roughly a couple times until we heard him gasp, his muscles loosening quickly. I sighed and crawled off of him, laying lazily beside him on the bed, still holding tightly onto one of his arms as he stirred awake.

"R-Ryou?" He groaned and then looked over at me, "Katsu?" He glanced at the doorway and his expression told me he saw Miho standing there. He closed his eyes tightly and cursed under his breath.

"It's alright, you're alright now," Ryou cooed, quickly falling over onto the other side of our brother, running a smooth hand over his hair, "Everything's okay."

"What was it this time?" I asked quietly.

Akefia looked at both of us and I watched as his eyes filled with tears. He quickly attempted to blink them away, but failed as one slipped down his cheek.

"The house... was on fire..." He sniffed, "I couldn't save you guys... I'm so sorry."

He began crying. It was a familiar sight but every time my big brother cried I could feel something inside of me die. It would make me vaguely remind myself of the bully he used to be, all the friends he used to have, all the lives he's made miserable. He was the kid who made other people cry, but having it turned around all of a sudden made me see just how small he really was. How broken he was.

"It's okay, we're here now, everything is going to be okay," Ryou said, hugging him close, "The house didn't burn down, we're still alive and we're all going to be okay."

Akefia still cried though. I looked over at Miho and saw she was covering her mouth, gasping and crying as well. I was the only one who didn't shed a tear. I was the only one who stayed with Akefia all this time while Ryou and Miho were at university. I was the one who tried to understand why my big brother was like this. It was sad to admit that I was used to this, but the others weren't.

Ryou turned his head to look at me and frowned, "I'm sorry, Katsu."

I looked at him and nodded. I forgave him.

* * *

**AN: As always, positive or negative reviews are encouraged! **


	7. Help

**AN: Thanks to those who supported this story! I'm glad you're all enjoying it so far! :D**

* * *

It was the next morning and I was feeling lethargic. I was completely drained from energy and the _last_ thing I wanted to do was force myself to walk a mile to school and actually attempt to pay attention in Literacy class, let alone mathematics. But I nonetheless got up and made breakfast, rubbing my sore jaw as I did. Akefia wasn't awake and I understood why. Ryou had spent the night with him, seeing as how I had school the next day and needed my full eight hours of rest. I had only been able to get four hours in by the time Téa called to make sure I remembered to bring her hair tie I borrowed a while ago back to her.

I walked down the street and stopped at Téa's gate. I rung the doorbell and saw her instantly run out, one arm in her uniform jacket and a bagel hanging from her teeth. I could tell she had a rough morning as well.

"Shih, m'm shorry," She said, taking the bagel out of her mouth once she got her jacket on properly and school bag slung over her shoulders, "My alarm didn't go off."

"Not a problem, it was hard for me to wake up too," I chuckled, handing her the black hair tie, "As promised."

"Oh yeah? Well at least you don't need to wear makeup or flat iron your hair," She huffed, retrieving the tie, "I didn't even have my morning coffee. I'm going to be a wreck all day."

"It's fine, we'll stop by the coffee shop on the way, we still have time," I said, checking my phone quickly, "How was your weekend? Did you hang out with Yugi?"

She flushed and slowly bit into her bagel again, avoiding eye contact. I wanted to laugh.

"Yeah... we went to see a movie." A smile crept onto her face, "Did you go over to that guys house to apologize?" My stomach flipped at the thought and I rolled my eyes. She chuckled and nudged my shoulder, "And...? What was his house like? Is he as rich as they say? Is his family nice?"

"He's... wealthy, yes," I nodded slowly, "And his family is very nice."

She stopped smiling and I knew she wanted to squeeze more information out of me, but I decided to quickly switch the subject before she could open her mouth again.

"Did Yugi kiss you yet?"

"Bakura!" She squealed, hitting my arm, her face completely red. I laughed.

* * *

As I had predicted, I was having trouble staying awake during my classes, getting yelled at a few times for dosing off and making the class laugh. I was led out into the hallways during Literature class and Mrs. Koa glared at me and lectured me about how disrespectful it was to fall asleep during her lesson. I shrugged it off and then was told to wait in the principal's office until class was over. I took my snooze then.

At lunch, I stalked past the windows that separated the cafeteria from the hallways, peering in and seeing that Marik wasn't at my table anymore. He was sitting back at his own lunch spot, laughing and chatting with his friends. I pressed my lips together. I didn't know what to do next. What did people do when they become friends? I knew when me and Yugi became friends he showed me how to play a card game and stuff, but I didn't know any card games that Marik would enjoy, and besides we weren't in junior year anymore. I looked over at my table, the empty one, and took a deep breath, holding it in my lungs as I pushed the glass door open and stalked straight to my regular seat, avoiding any potentially awkward eye contact with Marik the best I could.

When I reached my spot, I let out the struggled breath and sat down with ease, pulling my school bag onto my lap to retrieve my lunch. When I got out the sandwich a heavy hand was place on my shoulder. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I whipped around to see who it was and sighed in relief when it was only Yugi.

"Woah, you okay Katsu?" He asked with a slight chuckle, "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"It's fine, Yugi," I sighed and moved over a bit to make room for him to sit. He gladly took the empty spot and pulled out his lunch as well, "You skipping class or something?"

"Naw, I'm not bad like you," He winked. I rolled my eyes, "Miss Fuji let me have lunch early since I finished the test first."

I glanced at the clock. His class should have started not nearly ten minutes ago. I chuckled at the thought and looked back at the short, spiky-haired boy as he munched on his burger happily.

"So, Bakura, I have something to ask you... it's kind of embarrassing though, so don't laugh," He said, putting his burger down and looking at me with large, magenta eyes. I nodded and gestured him to go on, "Do you know if... Téa likes me?"

I almost burst out in tears laughing, but I kept cool and instead played a coy smile. He widened his eyes and gaped at me in surprise, I didn't even have to give him my verbal answer. He looked back down at his lunch, catching the hint as his cheeks crimsoned by the second.

"Oh..." He said quietly. I chuckled, "Do you think... she would go to prom with me then?"

I smiled even wider and clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Yugi, she won't shut up about you. I think she's just waiting for you to man up and ask her out already."

Yugi looked up at me and smiled slightly, "Yeah?" I nodded and he bit his lip, grabbing his burger and taking a large bite, chewing with a smile and a thoughtful look in his eyes. I let his shoulder go and continued with my own sandwich, but internally I frowned.

"Hey Bakura, nice to see you!" I turned around and a happy, tanned face smiled brightly down at me. I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it again, "And you must be Yugi! It's nice to meet you!"

Yugi, with a mouthful of food, smiled and nodded, sharing a respectful bow. He swallowed roughly and smiled, "And you're Marik, right? I've heard so much about you!" Yugi smiled and shifted over a little to make room for our guest.

Marik's eyes flickered over at me and he smiled wider, then looked back at Yugi and gave a curt nod, taking a graceful seat beside him.

"So it's true then, you were born and raised in Egypt?" Yugi said, twenty minutes into a deep conversation the two were having about the perks of Japan.

Marik nodded and chuckled, "Yes, it's true."

"Wow, my grandpa used to study the ruins when he was younger!" Yugi stated excitedly.

"Really? What did he find?" Marik leaned in, curiously raising his eyebrows.

As the two talked intently, I finished up my lunch, deciding not to disturb them as they seemed well on their way into a great friendship. I took my lunch pale and shoved it into my school bag, slinging the bag across my shoulder and lifting myself from my seat.

"Hey, where are you going?" Yugi asked, a frown on his face.

I shrugged and looked at Marik, than up at the clock on the wall.

"Study hall, you coming, Yugi?" I asked.

Yugi glanced at the clock and then sighed, "Well, I was thinking about asking Téa to prom during this period, I'm sorry," He pressed his lips together and gave me an apologetic smile.

I looked over at Marik and jerked my head toward him, "Do you have class right now?"

"No, I switched into mathematics, remember?" He said with a chuckle and then bowed to Yugi again, "Good luck with your prom-posal!"

"Thank you!" Yugi jumped out of his seat and grabbed his garbage, "See you guys later!"

Marik waved him off and then turned to me, his smile weaker than before. He had an eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip.

"Are you always this quiet around your friends?" He asked.

I looked at him a little while longer and then huffed, "Come on, let's go." I turned swiftly around and took fast-paced strides toward the exit of the cafeteria, wanting to get out of there as fast as I could before the bell rang and the stampede came.

I heard Marik jog to catch up and then he bumped my shoulder with his own and smiled widely, "Where are we going?"

I faltered slightly. I hated this already. What was there even to do? I thought about what me, Yugi, and Téa did during study hall. We played card games... went to the mall... hung around and talked... I shrugged.

"Did_ you_ have anything in mind?" I asked, sideways glancing at him. He shook his head slowly, smiling with his teeth this time.

We decided to walk around the school until the blond Egyptian suggested we take our walk to the outside running track. It was a nice day outside. A crisp, refreshing breeze picked up, cooling the nervous sweat that was beginning to form on the base of my neck. I pushed my hair over to one shoulder to allow the breeze more access to my burning skin. I couldn't help but noticed Marik was watching me the whole time. He was staring at my hair, unsmiling.

"Wow, I've never realized how long your hair was," He said, his eyes wide.

I chuckled and shrugged, "Yeah, It's been a long time since I cut it."

"Why's that?" He asked, "The only reason I'm asking is merely because you have the longest hair I've ever seen on a guy in Japan."

I felt my insides burn and I stopped abruptly. I stared at him in disbelief. I didn't understand what he meant by that, if it was a compliment or an insult. I shrugged nonetheless and mindlessly pet my hair.

"I don't know, I just never thought about it," I shrugged, "Maybe one day I _should_ get it cut."

"No!" Marik exclaimed. I looked at his panicked expression and raised an eyebrow. He chuckled and shook his head, "You shouldn't, it's what makes you unique," He gave me a genuine smile.

I looked away from him and down at my hair. I guess it _was_ pretty different and rare that a guy would have a foot and a half of pure white locks, but Marik's reaction to me thinking about cutting it was a little unnecessary.

"Did you want to go for coffee or something? I'll buy," Marik offered, throwing me off a bit.

"Uh, okay, sure," He flashed a quick grin and then jerked his head to the side, gesturing me to follow, "Did you bring your motorcycle?" I asked.

He chuckled, "You really like the motorcycle, don't you." I rolled my eyes. He laughed, "I did, but I didn't bring another helmet so it's safer if we just walked there." I understood and followed him to the streets.

The walk was quiet, as per usual, but when we bought our flavoured coffees and took a seat at one of the booths, Marik started the conversation. It was more like small talk, but it did us good for the time being. We just discussed school and what there was to do in Japan. When I mentioned a theme park, I saw a spark flicker in his eyes, like an excited child.

"A _theme park_?" He asked, smiling brightly.

"Yeah. It has some pretty big roller-coasters and a water park even, but they closed for the season. They should be opening back up when summer time comes around," I said, sipping some of my caramel coffee and marvelling at the flavour, "Have you ever been to one?"

"Once when I was really little. Ishizu brought me there one evening when the war was just starting. Our dad forbid us to go outside while the army was preparing, but we went anyway. Odion even offered to stay behind to make sure dad didn't find out we were missing," He chuckled, clearly reminiscent. And then he looked down into his empty cup and sighed, "It wasn't long before our dad found out, and when we got home we were... punished. He was a very strict guy." He shrugged, "I still have the little stuffed animal me and Ishizu won at a ring-toss game though."

I chuckled and peered up at Marik. He looked upset. I frowned, "Well, hey, when the theme park opens up in town we can go,"

Marik looked up, hopeful, "You mean that?" I nodded, "Like... _together?_ You and me?"

I examined his expression at the strange question, but nodded slowly and shrugged, "If you want, yeah,"

Marik beamed and then put the empty coffee cup to his lips, only to frown and look at it disappointingly. I rolled my eyes and pushed mine towards him. He looked up at me with a questionable stare, but I nodded down at the drink.

"Want it? It's caramel flavoured."

Marik looked down at the hot drink and then back up at me. He slowly smiled and took the cup from my hand. He thanked me and took a sip, never once looking away from me. I couldn't help but smile. I could tell this was going to be a pretty good friendship.

When mathematics came around, Marik and I walked in together. The look on Miss Yamata's face was priceless, staring at me in disbelief, but a hint of amusement played in her eyes. I ignored her – and everyone else's stares – as we took our seat near the back.

Throughout the entire class, Marik and I worked on that package. When we handed it in we both were graded for it instead of it just being counted as my mark. I could tell by the way Miss Yamata smiled at me that she knew I was getting myself back on track, she even went as far as to comment on my kanji.

I walked Marik to the parking lot at the back and we bid farewell with a quick hug and a wave. I watched him leave, the engine to his motorcycle revving and roaring as it sped past me to meet with the road. It was a strange phenomenon to think me and Marik would get along. I mean, there really was no reason for me to be angry at him anyway, it wasn't like he did anything, but I could still feel the hints of rage hanging by the skin of my teeth, threatening to overthrow my mind once again. I wanted to understand why this was the case though.

I turned around and was a little surprised to see Téa run up to me. I raised an eyebrow and then realized why as soon as I noticed the rose that was tightly gripped between her fingers.

"Yugi just asked me to prom!" Téa exclaimed, breathlessly. She giggled nervously, but the happiness shone in her eyes like stars.

Now both of my eyebrows raised in amusement. I grinned, out of surprise and glee. I never thought Yugi would ever get the guts to actually ask out Téa, knowing for a while now how much he gushed about her to me over the telly.

"I'm so happy for you two!" And I really was, but an unfamiliar feeling twisted deep inside my stomach and I couldn't get myself to smile full-heartedly for some reason.

Was I disappointed that Téa was now Yugi's? No... I wasn't the type who got jealous... was I? I was sincerely happy for the two, but my mind kept hinting to me that this meant I was going to be alone. It was indeed a show when, right on queue, Yugi showed up, a smile plastered on his face, like usual.

"Hey guys!" He smiled and then looked over at the brunette girl, "You ready to go?"

The blush on her cheeks deepened and she held the unoccupied hand out to Yugi, who grabbed it gently and then nodded at me dismissively with a huge smile.

"We'll see you later, Bakura! Yugi's taking me on a date!" Téa squealed with excitement.

I forced a smile and nodded quickly. I watched them leave me as well. My heart sank and my smile disappeared. Maybe I _was_ jealous, but there was no doubt that I was also happy for my friends.

I walked home alone, and quite frankly I enjoyed the silence. Having someone to talk to all day - especially a chatterbox like Marik – was tiring, so I was especially excited to go home and relax a little. The weather was much warmer today than it was yesterday and I was considering taking my school jacket off, but instead I just moved my hair onto my shoulder again and tried to let some heat escape. I passed Téa's house and then looked onward toward my own home. Just another minute of walking and I'll be-

"Come on, Ake, you can do it!" A female yelled. It sounded like Miho.

In confusion I stumbled over a dip in the sidewalk. What was going on? Panic ran through me like lightening as I ran quickly toward my home, completely forgetting about my desire to cool down.

I stopped abruptly and saw that the front door was open. Miho stood beside the entrance, peering inside the building with her fists clenched tightly, encouragingly. And then I saw it, Ryou appeared at the entrance and tailing close behind him was our brother, knees bent, fear written across his face. He clung tightly onto Ryou's arm as the two made it sluggishly slow toward the exit. I watched in awe. Was Akefia actually going to leave the house?

"I-I-I don't think I can," Akefia cried, pulling back on Ryou's arm.

"Come on, we're almost there! You're doing great!" Ryou smiled genuinely at Akefia.

Akefia finally looked up and stared right at me with giant, purple eyes. He was terrified. I could tell he didn't want to leave, and maybe now wasn't the right time. He wasn't ready, I read it on his expression; his bottom lip quivered uncontrollably and even his stance was not at all confident.

"No, please, I changed my m-m-mind!" Akefia tugged backward but Ryou tugged forward a little too forcefully.

"Ake, please! We're almost there! Just a few more steps-"

"Let him go!" I yelled.

Ryou looked up suddenly and lost his grip on Akefia, who fell backwards and quickly scrambled to get away, hiding back in the house. Ryou looked back and screamed in frustration, pointedly glaring back at me.

"You bastard!" He flipped me off before chasing after Ake. Miho stood there with her hands clasped over her mouth, but soon after she left to go back inside as well.

I ran into the house and then shut the door loudly behind me. Dropping off my school bag I walked right up to Ryou without stopping, pulling the collar of his striped t-shirt back and throwing him aside, away from our big brother who was practically about to vomit, shaking in fear like a fragile leaf in a hurricane.

I knelt beside the white-haired man and pet his sweaty forehead before whipping back around and staring at my twin with cold eyes. He was scared as well, but his tightened fists and stiff upper lip told me he was ready to fight. I leaped toward him, grabbing him by the shirt again and pushing him against the wall. I heard Miho cry for me to stop but I refused to listen to her as my fist connected to the side of the boys head. Ryou struggled under my grip, ripping at my hair as I threw another punch, hitting his jaw this time with a violent snap.

Strong hands were scooped under my arms and wrapped around my chest. I felt them pulling me back but my body reacted to the threat and I mindlessly flung my fists behind me to rid of the prevention to seriously harm my brother. I felt a strong kick to the back of my leg and my knees quickly gave out. I almost stumbled to the ground, but the strong arms held me up and dragged me away from my target. I was thrown onto the makeshift bed and was about to leap back up to continue with the beating until I saw Akefia run past me. He held off Ryou who was now bleeding from the mouth, his eyes wide with fear and tears.

I sighed and rested my head on the pile of blankets behind me. I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath, calming down as the yelling got quieter. Miho was crying and cooing softly to Ryou moments later. Everyone else was silent.

The heated battle cooled down and the atmosphere seemed to lighten a little. Heavy breathing calmed and even Miho stopped crying. I kept my eyes fixated on the ceiling the entire time. A good twenty-some minutes passed until I heard a heavy sigh.

"This is all my fault," I heard Akefia whisper finally.

"No it's not," Ryou sighed. I looked up to see him now sitting on the couch beside Miho as she iced the side of his head with a bag of frozen blueberries, "I shouldn't have tried to force you out of your comfort zone." Ryou looked down at me with large, brown eyes, as soft as they usually are, "And I'm sorry to you as well, Katsu."

I wanted to roll my eyes but I stopped when I flexed my aching fist, "Yeah? Why's that?" I asked.

"I'm sorry that you have to be such a _spaz_ all the time."

I scoffed at him and he glowered back, pulling Miho's hand away and getting slowly to his feet. I began to sit up, getting ready to beat the living shit out of this fucker.

"Guys, can you two just fucking cut it out already!?" Akefia yelled.

I looked at Akefia with wide eyes, his expression sad and sorrowful but angry, the kind of look a parent would have when giving their child a meaningful lecture. That was the first time he got sincerely angry with us. But I nodded slowly, looking over at Ryou who was looking back at me. I sighed.

"I'm sorry." I said softly. And truly I was, even though the eye-rolling was included.

"Me too," Ryou sighed and looked over at Miho, "Come on, let's go."

The blue-haired girl nodded quickly and got up with the frozen fruit, walking after Ryou as they disappeared down the hall, the sound of a door closing coming right after. I looked at Akefia who rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Did they hurt you?" I asked. He looked back at me and frowned, but slowly shook his head. I gave a curt nod and looked back down the hallway, "Good."

"Katsu, please don't be mad at Ryou. _I_ was the one who suggested to try." Akefia said softly.

I nodded slowly again and then looked at him with a little smile, "I know, but Ryou shouldn't have been the one to help you."

"Katsu..."

"I have homework. Wanna help?" I asked, intentionally cutting him off from continuing this discussion.

It hurt enough to know how hard Akefia wanted to be normal, but to have the brother who's never been here try to help along wasn't going to fly well with me.

* * *

**AN: Reviews are lovely, thank you! **


	8. Surprise, Surprise

After homework, dinner, and a cup of tea it was time to sleep. Though it was only around 9 o'clock I was feeling tired. And as I predicted, Ryou stayed in our room with Miho while I laid by myself on the makeshift in the living room. I tried to imagine what would have happened if Akefia didn't stop me from throwing more punches, would I have _killed_ my own brother? I closed my eyes tightly, trying not to think about it, and rolled onto my stomach to hug my pillow closely. I fell asleep moments later.

The morning came and I got ready for school, skipping breakfast to get it at the coffee shop with Téa instead. We decided to sit outside, since the weather got really warm, and Téa shed her uniform jacket to sit in the sun. I decided to do the same, sipping my flavoured coffee and munching on a muffin. It was almost summer time and that meant school was coming to an end. Big blue eyes met my brown ones as Téa smiled widely. I raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her expression.

"What's with the smile?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just feeling really giddy this morning for some reason."

"Was it your date with Yugi?" I winked and bumped her shoulder. She instantly blushed and her smile grew, it was definitely the date, "How was it?"

"It was nice. We went to the community centre for rock climbing and then to the movies." She looked up into the sky and sighed dreamily, "We didn't kiss though, but when the time comes it will happen."

I nodded slowly and then looked down at the grass, swirling some blades between my fingers and pulling them up.

"Did you ever wish... that _Yugi_ was your first kiss?" I asked mindlessly.

I knew she was a little discomforted by the question, but it was seriously something that has been bothering me for a while. I watched as her face grew sad, but she gave me a genuine smile and shrugged.

"Sometimes I think about that, but I don't regret the way everything happened," She looked down and I felt her warm, soft hand on mine. I glanced down at our hands as she squeezed it assuringly, "I'm just glad it was with someone I truly care about."

I tried to remain happy at that fact, but the smile on my face was faltering with every stretched second. It was true though, this gorgeous brunette was my first kiss, and I was planning for a while to ask her out but when Yugi confessed his feelings for her something inside of me felt like it had died. My fondness of the blue-eyed girl faded drastically. Sometimes I find myself wishing I hadn't let that go, but it was hard to like someone you knew had an interest in someone else. I finally looked over to see the girl looking back at me. I forced a smile and she quickly caught on.

"Is everything okay, Katsu?" She asked, "You seem really depressed lately, not to mention that bruise on your jaw."

I rubbed mindlessly at the bruise and shrugged it off, "It was nothing."

"It looks like an old one, I'm sorry I didn't notice before. Is everything okay at home?" She asked, sitting on her knees now and touching around the bruise softly. Of course she wouldn't have noticed before, she was too busy marvelling at Yugi. I recoiled from her touch, leaning away from her fingers. She grew upset, her eyebrows slanting to create a straight line and her corners of her mouth falling, "I'm just trying to help. Jeez, Bakura, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me, Téa! Can you just drop it?" I exclaimed a little too harshly. She looked surprised and I quickly pressed my lips together, getting to my feet and looking away from her piercing eyes, "We should... get to school now."

It took a few seconds, but Téa was on her feet again, brushing the grass off her blue uniform skirt and retrieving her jacket. I put my own jacket back on and then slung my bag across my shoulder, holding up hers to help her put it on. She gave me a firm look.

"You never let me in anymore. We don't talk like we used to and I don't know why. I never know what you're feeling and then you feel it's okay to get pissed at me for not understanding you." Téa exclaimed, sadness in her eyes, "It's me and Yugi, isn't it? That's what you're upset about." She looked long into my eyes before her expression grew hard. "Why aren't you happy for me? You said it yourself that you'd support me and Yugi's relationship but you sure are doing a terrible job at that. Whatever, if you want to live your life encased in your steel box of tragedy than I'll leave you to do just that. Good luck with yourself, Bakura."

She took the bag from my hand, slinging it across her shoulders by herself. I scowled but remained verbally silent as she threw out her garbage and began the walk toward school with firm and quick steps. I thought of tailing behind her, but I knew she was mad and that I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth closed for long. My mind was right though, I was feeling stupidly jealous of the fact that Téa had a boyfriend now. And better yet, Yugi was said boyfriend. It genuinely irritated me but I didn't want to get my head wrapped around that. Right now I needed to sort myself out.

It was too early to apologize to Téa, she was right after all. I was beginning to close up on myself again, like I have in the beginning of high school. Yugi and Téa were the ones to help me come out of my shell and take my mask off. I revealed everything to them, all the chaos in my life and I turned to them and entrusted them with all my being, but slowly it's starting to feel so one-sided. They never have any problems in their lives so it's hard to communicate. I knew I should've mentioned all the fighting that has been going on between me and Ryou, even the arguing with Marik.

Marik... I guess I still had _him_ to talk to.

I sighed and pushed my legs to walk toward the school. I had a lot of things to do before I would apologize to anyone. And just like that, I saw the tall, lithe blond jogging around the track. I paused to watch him before walking over to sit on the bleachers. I took out my math homework that Akefia and I worked on and decided to look over my answers before the test. I made a few side notes until I heard heavy breathing and the sound of cleats slapping against mud. I looked up to see Marik wave, breathless.

"Hey there," He huffed and leaned back to stretch his muscles, "Where's Yugi and Téa? I thought you would be hanging out with them."

I pressed my lips together and looked at his eyes, watching his smile vanish and his eyebrows lower. I guess he got the hint. He climbed over the three steps to sit beside my text book and leaned toward me, peering up between his lashes.

"Did you wanna talk about it?" He asked. I shook my head, "Are you sure? Talking helps."

I sighed and looked away, "That's exactly the problem."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I closed my text book and rubbed my face with my hands, "Téa and Yugi are going out now,_ dating_, and I feel like I'm a little... jealous for some reason." I didn't look at the blond, assuming he was smiling and calling me an idiot between his teeth, "Téa's mad that I don't talk to her like I used to and now she's probably complaining to Yugi and telling him not to interfere with me anymore."

"She can't do that, it's_ his_ choice if he wants to talk to you or now," Marik responded softly.

"I know, but they're boyfriend and girlfriend now," I sighed miserably and looked back at Marik, surprisingly seeing him frowning, "I just... it feels awkward if I start to talk to Yugi and not Téa, you know what I mean?" He nodded, "I just... I don't even know."

Marik chuckled and clapped my shoulder. I knew he wouldn't take me seriously.

"It doesn't sound like jealousy to me." He smiled.

I raised an eyebrow and straightened my back. That wasn't expected, "What does it sound like then?"

Marik shrugged, "I think, in all honesty, you're just upset at the fact that Yugi and Téa finally found that mutual love for each other that you don't seem to fully comprehend yet," He leaned back against the seat behind him and smiled, "It may seem a little silly, but then again, love is a silly thing." He chuckled again.

I stared at him and opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed heavily. Marik chuckled and rubbed my shoulder.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class." Marik said.

I looked up at him as he smiled down at me, now standing tall on the last step of the bleachers, holding his hand out. I looked down at his hand and then hesitantly grabbed it. He tightened his grip and hoisted me up. He didn't let go until my feet were firmly on the ground. I thanked him and he smiled, waiting until I caught up to him so he could walk beside me. It was a little weird, I must admit, but then again everything this guy did was a little weird.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have a gift for you." Marik stopped at his locker on our way to our class. He opened it up and took out his school bag. "I noticed you really liked it before and plus it would resemble our friendship!"

I almost gasped. The blond Egyptian held a gold ring, similar coloured thread strewn to create a beautiful design in the centre. Five tear-shaped golden beads around the outside. The dreamcatcher necklace.

"I... I couldn't," I shook my head slowly, "Thank you though, really, but I can't just-"

"Nonsense! Here," Marik threw the thin leather strap around my neck and then scooped my hair up in his hands, adjusting the necklace in place before taking a step back. He took the dreamcatcher in his hands and centred it, placing it back on my chest slowly. His eyes lingered on the beautiful piece before looking back into my eyes and smiling, "Perfect." He breathed.

I looked down at the dreamcatcher and pressed my lips together. I didn't want to take such an expensive-looking gift, but I nonetheless touched it lightly and couldn't help but smile back at Marik.

"You really don't have to."

"I insist! But don't you dare even _think_ about getting me something now, because I won't accept it," He gave me a firm look before tilting his head a bit and admiring it again, "It looks really good on you."

I rolled my eyes but thanked him generously, playing with the necklace again.

Throughout the whole day I played with that damn necklace. I got a lot of compliments on it from people I didn't even know, which made me a little happy. During lunch Marik and I spent it together, seeing as Yugi or Téa didn't have the same lunch as I did, and when study hall started, I stayed seated in the cafeteria with Marik, talking about what we did in our classes. Marik was in the middle of telling me about this book we was reading when a tall man walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. Marik and I looked up to see our principal, Mister Faruka. Concern filled the man's old eyes as he told Marik to follow him to his office. I gave the blond a concerned look and considered following after him as he was pulled away, but Mister Faruka told me it was better if I just stayed where I was and that it would only take a minute.

"If I don't come to math, meet me by my motorcycle after school. I brought an extra helmet," He gave me a small smile before disappearing out the cafeteria doors.

I wondered what that was all about, but hopefully Marik was alright.

It was the last class of the day and Marik wasn't there. There was no blond-haired, tan boy anywhere in sight. I took my seat slowly and frowned. Maybe I could just run by the office to check...

"Mister Bakura, here is your test." Mrs. Koa put a sheet of paper on my desk, "Is Mister Ishtar not present today?"

"No, he's in the office," I responded softly.

She gave me a concerned look, "Is everything alright?"

"I don't... I don't know," I gnawed mindlessly on the back of my pencil as Mrs. Koa pressed her lips together, clearly worries, walking away slowly to complete the handing out of tests.

I couldn't think. I stared at my blank test, reading the same question over and over again a hundred times, but I still couldn't get my mind to function properly. I toyed with the dreamcatcher that was around my neck, feeling the cold and smooth surface of it's gold exterior. I couldn't do this test, not with Marik in the office about something I didn't know about. Was he in trouble for some reason? Maybe a family member was sick or dying? I hoped it wasn't that. Anything but that. I slammed my head on the table and sighed softly. I decided to just wait until class was over, maybe later beg to redo the test because there was no way the gears were turning right now. And finally the bell rang and I jumped from my seat, grabbed my school bag and booked it out of the classroom. A million and one apologies for bombing the test.

I ran past minors and seniors, pushing them hastily away as I briskly ran down the hallway toward the office. I knocked on the door then and breathed heavily, awaiting the secretary to answer. And when she did I practically pushed past her to enter.

"E-excuse me, sir?" She tapped my shoulder, "You have to wait in the lobby before we call you in."

"I can't, I-I-I have to-" I paused when I saw Marik walked out of the office smiling, a piece of paper in one hand and the other hand connected to the Principal's in a respectful handshake. I was trying to catch my breath and the loudness must have caught their attention, because a millisecond later the two men looked at me. Everyone in the office was staring at me.

"Katsu?" Marik asked, surprise and shock written across his face, "What's wrong?"

"What the hell happened!? I spent all class twiddling my thumbs nervously thinking about every possibility of why you would be called down to the office so urgently. _Please_ tell me no one died!" I exclaimed. The secretary offered to help me calm down, but I shot her a threatening look by accident that made her flinch and back away.

"N-nothing's wrong, nobody died," Marik said slowly, dropping his hand out of the Principal's and looking up at him quickly, smiling brightly as the big man himself laughed, "I just got my honours reward for highest mark in physics."

I stared at him. I stared down at the paper in his hands. I stared at the floor. And then fire blazed inside my stomach.

"Katsu...?" He asked slowly, his voice louder now, closer, "Everything's fine," He placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, his eyebrows slanted in worry and his mouth pressed into a straight line, "You're being paranoid over nothing."

"I thought..." I started, but my throat closed shut, embarrassment took its toll.

And then arms were wrapped around me tightly. I stared at the wall, in my peripheral I could see the secretary I encountered just moments ago staring at me, wide eyes and smiling. Warmth filled my body and then it left when I was pulled away. I was met with big, violet eyes that were so diverse and dense with colour that I could almost see myself in them, staring dumbly back at me.

"I'm glad you care that much about me though. It means a lot!" He smiled with his teeth and let go of me to bump my shoulder, "C'mon, I'll drive you home."

Marik left the office and I just stood there, staring at nothing. What the hell just happened?

The ride home was quick, seeing as it usually took about ten minutes by foot to get there, but it was still as relaxing and uplifting as ever, it almost made me forget about how I overreacted during Marik's trip to the principal's office. How could I have been so _stupid_? I made a fool of myself and I failed my math test just to find out that this blond bastard was being praised with an achievement reward? Why did I care so much anyway?

The motorcycle came to a stop in the short, weed-driven driveway and I got off slowly, sad the ride had to end. Marik put down the kick stand and took off his helmet, shaking his hair a bit. I did the same and he smiled at me. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck, handing the helmet over to him. He looked down at it and chuckled.

"You might as well keep it with you," He shrugged, "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

And with that, before I could even get a syllable of dialogue out, Marik shoved his helmet back on and sped off. I looked down at the glossy, black hat and then turned toward my house. I was surprised to see nobody peeking out the window from all the noise that bike made. Nonetheless I walked inside the house and put my school bag down, taking off my jacket and throwing it on the couch. I was about to throw the helmet onto the couch as well, but instead I kept it in my hands, looking down at it. I guess me and Marik were on really good terms now.

"Hey, Katsu," Miho greeted, walking into the kitchen and retrieving a glass from the cupboard.

"Oh, hey Miho," I waved, joining her in the kitchen to get a glass of juice.

"What's that? I didn't know you had a motorbike," She pointed down at the helmet and sipped her water.

"No, it's my friend's. He drives one," I said and downed my glass of juice, "When do you and Ryou start school again?"

"Not until Monday," She shrugged.

I nodded and poured another glass of juice. I looked at her face and saw a hint of what looked to be sadness. What was she upset about? Maybe Ryou was starting to be an idiot again.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, sipping my juice. She quickly looked up and smiled, shaking her head quickly, "Oh c'mon, tell me anything. Is it about Ryou?"

"No, not him," She said in a tiny voice, looking at me with deep Byzantium eyes.

By the look on her face and how she addressed me I knew instantly what was bothering her...

"It's me, isn't it?" I asked slowly. She pressed her lips together and looked away. I sighed, "Look, Miho, I'm sorry for acting like a complete and utter wanker this whole weekend, but I have a good reason to, and it starts right with your boyfriend."

She raised her eyebrows in amusement and looked back at me, "Ryou said you were just jealous of our relationship, that's why you've been acting so weird." I opened my mouth to protest but she raised a hand to stop me. I couldn't help but scoff, "It's okay to be jealous, Katsurou, it's a natural human feeling. But you just need to one day come to terms with how you truly feel! You can't keep walking around with your tail between your legs all the time! I can teach you what a girl likes and they'd be falling for you like cherry blossoms in a breeze!"

I snorted and she glared, "Please tell me you're joking. I'm not _jealous_ of your relationship. Quite frankly I'm _happy_ the fluffy bastard finally got someone to like him."

She looked at me angrily and even turned her entire body to face me, her expression full of fury and her small hands balled up into fists. It was frightening, I must admit.

"You listen to me and you listen good, Katsu," She growled low, "I don't know who you think you are and I don't know why I ever felt intimidated toward you but now I see you're just _weak_." She took a step forward and I instinctively took a step back, staring at her now in disbelief, "You don't like hearing that you're wrong, nor do you like to listen to others when they're trying to help you. You're an ostentatious little boy who's too stubborn to accept the respective advice from his peers." She closed her eyes and sighed, opening them back up to look at the ground, "I know you're still grieving about what happened to your parents, and so is Ryou and Akefia, but-" She looked back up, fierceness burning in her eyes, "-but that doesn't mean you have to act like such a bloody douche-bag!"

I couldn't help but stare at her. My back was practically pushed up against the fridge. I was actually _frightened_ of this petite female, but not because of how she physically looked, but because of the power behind her words. She was right in every aspect of her speech. She was completely right. Even with Téa who tried to desperately make me come to terms with why I was like this, why I was constantly caging every bit of anger and loneliness inside. Why it was so hard to accept Marik as a friend or try to understand the extent of Yugi and Téa's relationship. Why every word of truth behind Ryou's words made me freak out or why Akefia's sorrow detached me from any act of happiness that would allow me to truly feel joy. Why a single motorcycle ride made me feel like I was reaching out to the world and trying to feel _good_ for once in my life.

"Y-you're right." I whispered. She kept her eyes glued to me, still burning holes into my mind. I choked a laugh, "You're completely right, Miho."

She softened instantly, examining my face and lowering her shoulders to a relaxing state. She nodded slowly, "I know," She smiled softly.

I smiled back and shook my head slowly, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around the girl. It took a little getting used to but I soon felt her accept the contact and hug me back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Don't mention it." She whispered back. We parted and she gave me a firm nod, "I should get back to Ryou now. I'll see you at dinner," She waved me goodbye.

"Yeah," I nodded back and waved.

I put my glass of juice on the counter and then looked down as a shine caught my eye. The dreamcatcher. I touched it and smiled. I was, for once, excited to see Marik again tomorrow. Maybe this time I would start acting a little better.

Wednesday came faster than I had expected. I realized I had woken up before my alarm clock with a full nine hours of sleep. Maybe I didn't hear Akefia's screaming last night, or maybe Ryou woke him up before he really started to make noise, but nonetheless there was no aspect of tiredness in my action and I got dressed for school, brushing my teeth and making breakfast, not bothering with my bedhead much. I was about to leave the house but the motorcycle helmet caught my eye. Right, Marik was picking me up.

I took the helmet and then heard a light cling of metal hitting the floor. I looked down and saw the dreamcatcher necklace. I picked it up with a smile and put it around my neck proudly before heading out the door at the sound of an engine revving.

"Katsu, good morning!" Marik laughed loudly over the noise, "You wanna get coffee before we head to school?"

"Sure," I shrugged, pulling the helmet on and wrapping a leg over the back of the seat. I wrapped my arms around Marik's midsection and we drove off.

School went by like a breeze and I was allowed to retake my test after some very well played persuasion on Marik's part. At lunch Marik had given me an athletic uniform similar to his own and a pair of cleats to match. After a while of complaining about money and gifts, Marik forced me to run laps as punishment, but sooner or later he joined in the run. We ate lunch after on the bleachers.

The sun felt great on my skin and I could tell Marik was enjoying it too, leaning back and having his head held high, face toward the bright sky. He probably missed the heat of his homeland. I wondered if he'd ever want to go back.

"Katsu," Marik said suddenly, breaking the silence. I acknowledged him with a nod, but he wasn't looking at me, instead he looked down at his salad and mindlessly fiddled with it. He looked a little bothered as he glanced around us. I looked around too and saw the soccer team was lining up along the tracks, probably to warm up before class, "I wanted to talk to you about something... it's kind of private though."

I couldn't stop my insides from violently turning. I hated when people said they needed to talk to me, it felt as if I was in trouble for something. Not once did we meet eyes, but he got up from his seat and motioned for me to follow him, which I gladly did.

The walk throughout the school was quiet, except, of course, for the students still lingering about, getting their lunches or talking amongst friends. I wondered what was so private that Marik had to bring me to another location just to talk about. Maybe it was something about his family, or maybe he had an interest for somebody at the school. That would've been interesting.

He led me right to the gymnasium and I gave him a questionable look. He entered the big, dark room and walked straight to the centre of the gymnasium. I entered slowly and shut the door behind me softly, trying not to make much noise as Marik's cleats tapped and echoed along the floors and walls of the empty room. He motioned for me to follow as he turned and continued to walk further and further into the darkness. I was starting to get a little nervous but I finally caught up to him and what happened next surprised me. He took a key out of his uniform jacket pocket and stuck it into the lock, twisting it and successfully unlocking the door.

"Where the hell did you get _that?_" I whispered harshly, but he ignored me and entered the storage closet. I hesitantly followed him and then closed the door behind me.

The room smelled musky and dust was covering everywhere. A thin layer of orange chalk from the field liner filmed the floors in a light coat. Tennis rackets, footballs, cartons high of golf clubs and basketballs. Sticks of every sort and size lined the walls. Crates cluttered the area, creating a maze. I couldn't see Marik anymore as he vanished further into the closet, disappearing behind a high stack of floor mats.

"Uhm... Marik? Are we even _allowed_ in here?" I asked, stepping around a couple of broken tennis posts, "Marik?"

"Check this out," He called from far away. I moved further into the abyss and then stopped when I saw the Egyptian laying down on a giant sponge mat, "Isn't it cool? They use this for high jump! When those people run with long poles and then fly over the bar. They land on this!" He patted the empty space behind him and smiled, "Come on!"

"O-okay." I walked over judgementally and then took a seat on the sponge, immediately sinking in. I looked at Marik and saw the huge smile on his face. If I wasn't so nervous I would've playfully tackled him or something, but my insides wouldn't stop shaking and I guessed the blond noticed because his smile quickly faded and he looked down at the sponge.

He sighed, "Fine, well..." He cleared his throat and wrung his hands together nervously, "I guess I should tell you that I kind of... developed feeling for someone at school."

I sighed in relief but at the same time I felt deeply sorrowful as I realized that meant Marik might be leaving me to go off with someone as well. I would lose yet _another_ friend. I reluctantly kept my happiness though and chuckled. He looked up at me in surprise.

"Really? That's great! You made me worry over nothing! You seriously need to stop doing that," I laughed.

He choked a laugh and nodded, "Yeah, but it's a lot more complicated than that..."

I stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow, "Why? Do I know them?"

He hesitated and then nodded, "Very well, yes."

I thought about this for a second. The only other friends I truly had were Téa and Yugi and I knew both of them pretty well. Maybe he liked Téa and now because she's dating Yugi, Marik realized he's in a bit of a situation. I completely understood and nodded slowly to ensure him of it.

"Okay, I think I know who it is," I chuckled.

He raised his eyebrows and I watched as he stopped playing with his hands, "Really? And you have no problem with it?"

"Of course not! And don't worry about it, even though she's taken we can still find you someone totally more suitable. Trust me, her and Yugi are _not_ going to break up any time soon so you might as well move on while you still can."

He looked at me a while more and then burst into laughter. I tilted my head and pulled my eyebrows together in concern. I didn't get it...

"Wow, Katsu," He wiped away a fake tear from his eye and shook his head slowly, "That's not even remotely_ close_."

I was flabbergasted and quite frankly incredibly dumbfounded. What did he mean I wasn't even close? Téa was the only logical candidate. He seemed to notice my expression because he calmed down, but kept a weak smile on and shook his head slowly.

"Maybe it's not time for you to find out yet."

"_What the fuck_, you can't just change your mind dude!" I growled. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yeah? Watch me." He stuck his tongue out like a nagging child and got up from the sponge mat.

"That's not fair! Don't walk away from me! Tell me! I de_mand_ an answer!" I huffed and reached out to grab his arm.

"Maybe if you can squeeze it out of me, but I don't think you need to know," He chuckled, pulling back and shaking his arm to free himself.

I scoffed and grabbed him by the shirt instead with both of my hands, yanking him backwards. Marik looked back with big, scared amethyst eyes before falling backwards. He landed beside me, making the mat dip a bit. He attempted to scramble to his feet again but I grabbed his shoulders and pinned him against the mat, watching him sink in a little more. He pushed his hands against my chest, trying to push me away but I chuckled and grabbed his wrists, pushing them down into the sponge as well. I flung a leg onto the other side of the boy and held his legs between mine so he couldn't move them or try to kick me, I learned that move from battling with a violent Akefia several nights.

We both stared at each other. He wasn't much of a fighter, that was for sure. He chuckled though, trying to catch his breath at the same time as he broke his wrists free of the death grip and instead grabbed _my_ shoulders. He flipped me around and I ended up pinned against the sponge, being slowly swallowed by its plush exterior. I raised my eyebrows and chuckled as well, seeing the superior dominance in his eyes.

"I give up," I gasped and laughed.

He laughed as well and then quieted down. I watched his face slowly melt, his smile vanishing by the second and even his shoulders relaxed. I raised an eyebrow and rolled my eyes. He looked like he was about to faint or cry or _both_. Did I really push him that hard? I doubt it.

And then I felt one of his hands leave my shoulder. I tried to look down at where it went, but I was frozen suddenly when I felt soft and dainty fingertips move across my temple, pushing some hair behind my ear. I opened my mouth to object but I was silenced by an overwhelming warmth evading my lips. Wait... _what?_ My eyes immediately widened once I realized what was going on. All I could see was tanned skin and blond eyebrows so close to my vision, the feel of unbearable heat coursing through my body and a warm, soft hand was pressing against my cheek. I tried to talk but then I became aware of what was stopping me. I got feeling back in my arms and used them to push the body on top of me away.

The blond boy fell onto the mat beside me and I quickly sat up to gawk at him. His eyes flickered, as if scanning my face before the moisture filled them. He quickly shook his head and covered his mouth with both hands.

"Oh my god..." He whispered, "I'm so s-sorry... oh my god, Katsurou, I'm so sorry."

The feelings that ran through me at that time were a huge jumble of mess, trying to sort through them as fast I could before Marik was out of sight. The closing of the storage closet doors in the far distance snapped me back to reality and I couldn't help but touch my lips lightly and took a deep breath. _No_... this wasn't happening to me... I pressed my tingling lips together and took a large inhale of shaky breath through my nose.

Marik had an interest... in _me!?_

It felt like I wasn't alive. I walked numbly home, alone due to the fact that I didn't want to see Marik and I was pretty sure he didn't want to see me either. I wanted to tell someone about what just happened, but my throat remained sealed shut, even though I wanted to scream and demand he tell me what the hell was going on. Where did I go wrong? Why wasn't I freaking out? Should I tell Akefia? No... he would just end up opening his big mouth to Ryou and then the teasing would start all over again and I would probably end up killing him or something. I couldn't register how my day went before the kiss though, which frightened me. It was literally all I could think about.

I sat on the couch as soon as I went home. I didn't take off my jacket or anything, just sat there with my school bag in my hand, staring blankly at nothing, rubbing my lips together slowly, thoughtfully, trying to depict whether it actually happened or not. I could taste the warm spice on my tongue though, and that was proof enough, wasn't it? I heard footsteps but I disregarded them. I couldn't talk to anyone right now in fear I'd snap.

"Did you hear me, Katsu?" Akefia asked, shaking my shoulder. I looked into his eyes as he smiled brightly, "I slept for _ten hours straight!_"

I stared. _What? _The smile on Akefia's face was one I've rarely ever seen before. The amount of happiness radiating from his pores was unbearable. I wanted to speak but then I felt something heavy on my chest. A mix of guild, pain, excitement, and something foreign was pushing up against me. I looked down and my jaw locked when I saw the bump in my uniform jacket. I slowly raised trembling fingers to the item and closed my eyes.

"W-what is it?" Akefia asked. He pointed at my chest, "This thing? What is it, Katsu?"

"It's a... dreamcatcher," I whispered, moisture stinging my eyes. A feeling I haven't experienced in a very long time.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for such a long chapter, I just didn't know whether to have two little chapters or one big one, so I made it a big one. I hope you enjoyed it anyway :)**


	9. Amethyst Eyes

I held the dreamcatcher close to my chest, laying on the makeshift bed in the middle of the night. I had to stay up. I had to see if Akefia would have a nightmare again. I had to prove that this wasn't just a coincidence. It was already 2 in the morning and not a single peep came from down the hallway. Only Ryou's light breathing beside me was heard. I stroked my thumb against the smooth metal of the golden ring. Could it be that this dreamcatcher was _magic?_ No... that would be silly. It's just a necklace pendant. But Marik said he got it from Egypt... so maybe it held ancient powers beyond our belief? Yeah, right.

I huffed sarcastically and rolled onto my back, shaking the tired and mindless thinking from my brain. I stared up at the ceiling. Marik... I wondered what would happen to us. Our friendship. Maybe things would be awkward for a while... well, yeah they would, he _kissed_ me for heavens sake. But I knew he didn't mean to do it to confuse or hurt me. Maybe he _did_ have an interest in me. Why was I being so calm about this? I wasn't gay nor was I interested in someone as strange and different as that Egyptian.

I closed my eyes and sighed, seeing him behind my eyelids. His bright eyes and how they glowed in the sunlight, his strikingly gorgeous and dark skin, his light hair that contrasted brilliantly against it. He _was_ a charming teenager, Akefia had admitted it too, but was that it? Maybe there was more to it than that. The kiss was... interesting, I had to confess. It was really weird and different, but at the same time it felt just like when Tea kissed me. They were still lips, rights? But they belonged to a guy. A _gay_ guy. A gay guy who had a _crush_ on me.

I sat up and looked over at the mass of messy, white hair beside me. I wanted to so desperately shake Ryou awake and ask him his opinion on the matter, but I knew he would think I was going totally bonkers. It was too early in the morning to be thinking, but I couldn't get myself to relax and fall asleep. Everything inside me was moving around and I actually felt nervous to go to school tomorrow and face that boy. What would I even say? He was the only one who would talk to me but do I bring up the kiss? Do I ask his advice? Why was this all so difficult?

I got a glass of water and downed it before sliding back into the makeshift and closing my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep. I did however a little while later.

* * *

When I woke up, as expected, nobody else was up. Marik didn't come to give me a ride and I understood why. I walked to school by myself and trudged right past the running track. I glanced over and didn't see anyone there. I guessed the blond wasn't looking up for running today. I walked to my locker and grabbed out the books for my first class. This was going to be a long and boring day indeed.

The past week that I've really gotten to known Marik, there was nothing but good vibes. When I looked at him now it was a lot different than how I used to see him from across the cafeteria. It was actually cool hanging out with Marik, but something in my gut was tugging at my heart the whole time. A sense of emptiness. Perhaps it was from the fact that Téa and Yugi no longer spoke to me... but that only happened a day ago, and this emptiness has been lurking inside of me for as long as I could remember, and the feelings only got stronger when Marik showed up.

For every tragedy in my life, from my big brother going to jail, to our father dying, to Ryou moving into university, and our mother falling ill, and now to _this_? Was it ever going to end, or would my life just keep spiralling downward until the day I died?

I slowly closed my locker as the first bell rang. I waited until the hallways cleared to start walking. I was late for class but quite frankly I didn't care. I wanted to confront Marik and at least talk to him about all of this, about what would be happening from now on. I leaned my back against the lockers and stared at the ground. I was feeling so damn apathetic, maybe even a little depressed, but I couldn't skip class or Akefia would have my head. I trudged onward to my first class.

* * *

"So then I found out she was cheatin' on me." A boy said through gritted teeth, I presumed. It sounded a lot like Joey. He was the only kid at school who had that sort of accent.

"Man, that's shitty. What'd you do when you found out?" Another boy responded calmly.

"I just about beat the fucker up an' told 'em, 'if you ever touch my girl again, I'll break more than just your arm, ya hear?'" Joey announced heroically. The other by just laughed and told him he did a good thing. I rolled my eyes. How pathetic.

Moments later the two left the bathrooms and I was completely alone. I sat on the lidded can with my lunch and grimaced as I took a bite. How low of a place I've resided to eat my lunch in. I knew I was being foolish and just running away from having to face Marik but I couldn't get myself to comprehend my emotions. Half of me wanted to grab the boy and beat the living daylights out of him, and the other half wanted me to comfort him and tell him that I wasn't mad and still wanted to be friends with him. I was torn between worlds.

The bathroom was silent and therefore I was able to think a lot more clearly. I didn't want to think anymore, I just wanted things to go back to the way they were, when Marik didn't have this supreme fondness of me. I sighed and put away my lunch. I was about to get up until I heard the door click open. My entire being froze when the door slammed shut again. I waited silently, sitting back on the toilet lid and pulling up my legs to cross them Indian-style out of sight.

Suddenly a voice began to whine in a foreign language. I quickly recognised a few words, familiarizing myself with the heavy slang and acknowledged the words to be of Arabic decent. The language was never my strongest point, for I remembered my grandmother used to try to teach me and my brothers some of her distinct culture, but I _did_ catch on quite quickly with stuff like that, if only I could have done the same with math...

"It's so unfair," The voice continued, sniffing a little, "I mean, I don't even know what to _say_ anymore. I know I fucked up big time... I realize that, Odion."

I held my breath. _Odion_. That was Marik's brother. Why didn't I immediately think the person speaking Arabic could of been Marik? He was _born and raised_ in Egypt after all so it would be no doubt he could communicate in their language.

"No, I don't want to talk to Ishizu about this, there's nothing I can say to her that won't make her even more angry with me." He paused and sighed, "I keep hiding! I keep running around and hiding from him! There's no way I can face him now... not after all I've done."

It felt like lightening struck my chest. I knew he was talking about me, I knew he was hiding from me, but just hearing him say it really bothered me. It made me feel greatly bad but I'm glad I stayed out of his hair, it seemed like he needed the alone time.

"I... I don't know anymore," I strained to listen now that Marik's voice got quieter, leaning forward and pressing my ear against the crack in the door, "I just... I can't even look at him without tearing up, you know?" He whispered.

I opened my mouth as if to say something, but my heart stopped when I felt myself slipping. I was in such an awkward position. My grasp on the wall dropped and I was quickly falling. I threw down my hands to stop myself from hitting the floor, but in the process I hissed in agony as my leg cramped up from being crossed for too long.

"Shit, someone's here, I'll talk to you later," He quickly whispered and then he cleared his throat, "Hey, you okay in there?" He asked in Japanese now, his footsteps growing louder as he got closer.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck, what do I do? How do I get myself out of this?

"Mhmm," I mumbled in a higher-pitched voice.

The walking stopped. I watched the shadow on the ground, seeing him take a step back. I gnawed on my lip, hoping he didn't realize it was me.

"B-Bakura?" He whispered.

Shit.

I guess I had no choice. I got off of the can and took a deep breath, pushing back my hair from my now-sweaty forehead. I could do this, I just needed to stay calm. I sucked my bottom lip back in my mouth and pushed the door open. I hesitantly took a step out and then turned to face a surprised Marik.

"Bakura..." He said. I watched as his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head slowly and took a step back, "Fuck... you heard everything, didn't you?" I opened my mouth to respond but clamped it quickly shut again. I nodded slowly and saw a tear roll down his cheek. My chest ached at the sight and I desperately wanted to just hug him. "I did it again... I'm such an idiot," He covered his face with his hands and then turned around and disappeared out the door in the blink of an eye.

My feet sprung forward to catch him but I stopped myself. I ground my teeth together trying to figure out what I could do, but there was really only one thing I _could_ do. I had to talk to him and tell him that I was okay with it, that I still wanted to talk to him and hang out with him and spend time with him, but I knew it was never going to be the same again. He was such a great friend and did everything in his power to make sure I was okay and I knew I needed to return the favour. But something inside of my chest kept aching, and it was a feeling that I never had before.

I've had heartburn before, but this feeling was a little different. This was more of a psychological pain than a physical burn. A pain that was making me choke on my own words, my own thoughts and expressions. I tried to say something, anything, but my throat closed up. Even breathing was hard, especially when I knew Marik was crying. I needed to tell him I was sorry. But sorry for what? I did nothing wrong... _he_ was the one who kissed _me_.

Before I knew it myself I was running down the hallway, chasing the sobs that echoed through the school, trying to find him. I wanted to call his name but I couldn't. I couldn't see him anymore. I turned the corner and watched as he disappeared into the gymnasium. I knew where he was going. I quickly rushed over and slipped into the dark room before anyone saw me. As I closed the door behind me slowly and silently, I saw Marik run into the storage closet. He didn't turn the light on.

I turned to face the storage room, frozen in place. This was it. This was the 20 seconds of embarrassing sorry's I needed to get off my chest before me and Marik became friends again. Did he even want to be my friend? Maybe he wasn't looking for friendship, I mean, he had plenty of those. But you can never have too many friends, that's what Akefia taught me. All Marik tried to do was help me. He helped me open up, even if it was just him, and maybe, just maybe, he could help me try to understand _myself_.

Before I knew what I was doing, my hand was on the handle of the storage room. I closed my eyes tightly and then turned the knob. It was unlocked. Maybe you couldn't lock the storage room from the inside, or maybe Marik knew I would chase after him. Maybe he _wanted_ me to chase him. I had no choice. If I wanted a clean slate I needed to clear it myself. Nonetheless, I entered the darkness. I felt around for the switch but I couldn't find it. I disregarded it and instead moved my hands around in front of me to find my way through the pitch black. A faint light glowed from the corner of my eye and I quickly went toward it like a moth to a flame.

I stopped when I saw Marik sitting cross-legged on the sponge, the light from his cellphone gleaming against his face, his moistened eyes glistening. He looked up at me and didn't move. He was like a statue.

"If you've come to make fun of me, do it now because there is no way I'll let anyone hurt my pride." He said in a darkened tone that was unfamiliar to me.

"N-no," I shook my head quickly, "I just came to-"

"Just came to what? _Apologize?_ What do you have to apologize for? You did nothing wrong. It was _me_ who was the idiot thinking I could be with you. Clearly I was wrong." I tried to say something, but he held up his hand and sighed, "I know what you're going to say," He whispered now, looking at me intently. I could still see the brilliance within his violet eyes, intense even in the faint light, "Don't waste your breath, you never want me to speak to you again and I understand that, but I just wanted you to know something first."

I raised my eyebrows slightly and he looked away.

"I've liked you ever since I saw you sitting alone eating your lunch in the cafeteria way back in tenth grade. The first week I moved here. You were hard not to miss. You had that extremely long hair, the longest hair I've ever seen on a boy. And not only that, but it was pure white, like snow. It's what made you stand out." He chuckled, almost reminiscent as he looked at the floor, "The only ones who know I'm interested in guys are my family. I came out to them just before my seventeenth birthday. My dad was furious and decided that I would join the army in hopes all the tough training and being around big, strict men would 'straighten me out'. He signed me up with no regard of telling me. The next thing I knew was that I was being dragged away from my family the day after to start training. Odion and Ishizu helped me board a plane and got me out of the country as a refugee. They came shortly after and we settled here in Japan. The first time I've ever seen snow, I've ever seen someone like_ you_," He wiped his eyes and continued,

"Odion was the first person I told my feelings for you about and he was okay with it. Ishizu however didn't approve of me getting caught up in that, fearing I would get myself into trouble. Being gay is not excepted by the majority of the Egyptian population, and Ishizu was part of that majority. But with some influence from Odion, she lightened up to the fact that this was the way I am. As you probably noticed from when you came to visit, she was a little tense. When I went back home from dropping you off, she told me that she liked you, but still wanted me to be aware of the fact that you might not feel the same way, and that I could very well get myself hurt. And the funny thing was was that I knew I would get hurt, but I decided that I would take a chance and transfer into your math class in hopes of at least getting closer to you. And I did, and it was your anger, your connection to the trauma that you had to endure that made me truly feel connected to you, because it was something so deep and hard to talk about, but we did it anyway. For me it meant the world. I just remember telling myself that finally I could speak to someone who can truly understand how I feel."

There was a pause and he looked away again, closed his eyes and let a tear fall. My jaw locked. I wanted to say something but I couldn't think of anything at that moment. I didn't know how to respond to such things.

"You don't have to say anything, Katsu," Marik spoke softly, "You can just go."

I shook my head slowly. What the hell was wrong with me? I could just turn around and walk out, away from the trouble and away from this crazy Egyptian and never have to look back, never have to worry about hurting him or having to share anything with him ever again. I could simply walk away from that golden hair, those brilliant eyes. I could leave that warm and spicy scent. I could forget the contrast of his bronze skin against my pale flesh. I could erase him out of my mind... this painful image... but instead I didn't. I slowly walked over and hesitantly took a seat on the sponge next to him. He didn't even flinch.

"Marik," I whispered, still not used to tasting his name on my tongue. I was disappointed when I didn't see those eyes again, only his muscles twitched under the faint light. I wanted to say goodbye, but how could I? I needed to see him one last time, then I would leave... just one last time.

"Marik?" I asked, touching his shoulder lightly. He tensed up, but finally, finally he looked up. I stopped breathing.

His eyes were glistening, glossy, bloodshot. Every freckle of blue, every line of white, every shade of midnight amethyst were pulsating from his gaze. Every muscle in my body felt tight. My mouth went dry, my brain fuzzy. Crickets were hopping about in my stomach and that fucking pain in my chest was back.

What was this?

"What?" Marik asked, his tone melodic, soothing.

"Can you... do it again?"

Marik stared at me, frozen. I clamped my mouth shut as I watched his eyebrows raise.

"Are... w-what?" He stuttered.

I took my hand off his shoulder and swallowed the lump in my throat, running my hands slowly up and down my uniform pants, trying to rid of my clamminess I was beginning to feel. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Goodbye. It was just one word, but it was so difficult to say. Especially after everything that's happened now. I couldn't walk away from him. I couldn't walk away from _this_.

"Kiss me again." I said, peering back at him with hesitation.

His eyes widened now and he mimicked a goldfish, opening and closing his mouth a few times. He examined me and I instinctively examined him back. I raised a hand slowly and then touched his warm cheek with my fingertips, feeling the wetness, the sadness. His eyes fluttered closed with long, thick lashes. He looked so... beautiful.

And then I leaned into him, lidding my eyes until I found what I was looking for. After feeling my entirety relax, I pushed further into warm lips, my nostrils filling heavily with the scent I loved to much. The ache in my chest vanishing. I heard a soft hum escape Marik's lips as my hand dropped from his cheek to his neck, feeling smooth gold against burning skin. His lips tingled my taste buds with a sweet honey flavour as they parted lightly to grant me access, but just before the kiss deepened further, I was met with violet eyes and a blush-kissed face.

Marik cleared his throat and took the hand that was unknowingly placed on my chest away. He stared at me, his mouth still partially open, his breathing heavy. I smiled, attempting to catch my own breath and take in what the hell just happened all at the same time. He nervously and breathlessly laughed and I chuckled back.

"So, do you still... like me?" I asked. I watched him bite his bottom lip and smile shyly.

"Y-yeah..." He responded quietly, fingering the dreamcatcher that hung around my neck. I touched his hand and it made him stop.

"Good," I brushed some of the hair away from his face and then touched his waist lightly, "So now I won't feel guilty for doing this," I pressed our lips back together, feeling his tense body relax and melt into mine.

Arms made their way around my neck and I held the middle of his back, lowering him onto the mat and following closely after him. I pressed our bodies together and deepened the kiss, feeling his smooth tongue graze against mine. I could feel my ears burn with a blush and couldn't help but let out a tiny noise.

I couldn't believe how comfortable I was feeling about all of this, but I guessed why I was so hateful and rude toward this boy was merely because of these unfamiliar feelings I had. I was frightened and I was stubborn and I was jealous of love and it was all because I was looking in all the wrong places. It was here. It was with this... this _boy_. This boy that from only 3 years ago I thought was just another stuck-up bastard.

Was I in love with Marik then? Even as I made fun of him and lashed out at him... was that all to hide the fact that he made me feel this way? That he, a boy who lived in Egypt for most of his life, who's mother was deceased, who's father was a prick, who's loved and cherished by his siblings, who gave me that dreamcatcher... that this insignificant teenager made me realize what this anger was really all about?

We pulled away from each other and I noticed the frightened look on Marik's face. I raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Marik asked, his eyes filling with fresh tears.

I sat up quickly and he followed me and reached out a hand to stroke my cheek. Was I crying? I felt my own cheek and chuckled, helping to wipe the tears away. I ran my fingers lightly over his hands and he stopped, looking at me with big eyes.

"I don't know," I laughed and smiled at him, "I guess it's because I've never realized how much I needed you."

Marik paused. He blinked and a tear fell straight off his face. He didn't smile, he just stared. His face then crumbled up and his hands flew to his face to hide again, beginning to sob loud and ugly sobs. He curled in on himself and slid off the mat, right onto the floor. I quickly followed, hugging him close and petting his hair softly. I frowned and touched his hands again.

"H-hey, why all the tears?" I took his shields away and he looked at me through wet lashes.

"Do you... really mean that?" He asked through gasps of air.

I rolled my eyes and pulled him into my arms again, inhaling his scent and closing my eyes. I knew the answer now. I always knew the answer, ever since he walked into this school, head held high, posture straight, eyes forward, and the world at his feet.

"Yeah," I chuckled, nuzzling his soft, warm neck, "I do."

* * *

**AN: So I hope you enjoyed that! I think I'll be writing one more chapter and than it will be the end :D**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, sent me private messages, favourited/followed this story and me! I really appreciate it and I hope you guys enjoy the last chapter coming soon! (:**


	10. Disclosure

"I have something I need to tell you guys," I said softly, my stomach twisting itself in nots.

Ryou raised an eyebrow and Akefia leaned back in his chair slightly. Miho looked between all of us, but then rested her gaze on me. I gnawed on my lip a little and then took a deep breath.

It was definitely a nerve-racking experience coming clean with myself; my actions and my words and my feelings. It was all so surreal and made me truly reconsider everything I've believed in before. Marik and I discussed what was going to happen and how we should treat this delicate relationship. We decided to keep it a secret, but not for long Marik had spilled the beans to Odion and Ishizu. I forgave him though.

His sister didn't seem to take the news too lightly. Odion, however, congratulated our relationship with utmost glee. When I came to visit the Ishtars again, Odion praised me and even cooked me a steak to show his appreciation. Ishizu, however, didn't come downstairs until the last half hour of my visit. She didn't say much, but I could tell by the way she looked at us that she had somewhat lightened up to the idea. Marik, in the end, was pleased that his siblings took it so well. And now it was my turn.

I supposed it was only fair, even now that all attention was on me. I inhaled through my nose and then exhaled through my mouth, closing my eyes and disappearing myself. I wished Marik was here with me, squeezing my hand assuringly.

"What is it, Katsu?" Akefia asked.

I opened my eyes and looked directly at Akefia, trying to read his expression. He looked concerned, an expected reaction. I looked back at Ryou and Miho, their expressions troubled as well. I scratched at my hair and then wrung my hands together nervously.

"C'mon, you're making us nervous here, spit it out!" Ryou exclaimed.

"I'm gay."

Well, it wasn't exactly how I was planning on sharing the news, but I knew whichever way I decided to tell them they would have reacted the same way. Akefia's eyebrows pulled together in a mix between frustration and worry. Ryou looked surprised, his mouth pressed in a straight line and his eyebrows raised. Miho covered her mouth with her hands and her eyes grew wide. I looked away from their gazes and down at my food, I picked up some fried rice in my fork and then scooped it into my mouth. From the difference of how much rice I've scooped up to the amount that actually made it in my mouth made me realize how much I was shaking.

I looked back up at my audience. Akefia was looking down at his food now. Ryou still had the same stupid expression on his face, only this time he was looking at Miho, who had removed her hands from her mouth.

"Wow, uhmm," Akefia cleared his throat and raised his white eyebrows. He blew air from his cheeks and leaned his head against his hand, "I'm... not sure what to say."

"Me neither," Ryou said quietly. I looked over at him and he was looking back at me. I was honestly expecting a sarcastic joke from him or maybe even a couple of tears or giggles, but nothing. Not even a smile appeared on his face.

I nodded slowly and chuckled, rubbing my forehead, "Yeah, it's pretty crazy, right?"

"How did you... you know..." Akefia rolled his wrists and took a hesitant breath, "How did you find this out?"

I looked at him and chuckled, peering back down at my food.

"Well," I stirred some rice around and shook my head slowly, "I... I don't know if I'm attracted to every guy, but I do find an attraction to... someone in particular."

"And you're sure it's not Tea?" Ryou snickered. Miho punched his arm.

I shot him a glare and so did Akefia. I internally smiled when I noticed the immediate concern in my big brother's eyes, especially when the large purple orbs looked back at me, all ferocity gone from them. When I lowered my head and peered at him through my lashes, his expression changed.

"I think I know who it is."

My ears shot up and I looked expectedly at my brother. He was... smiling. I opened my mouth to say something, but Ryou beat me to it.

"Who, Ake?" He asked, peering at him with wide eyes. Miho clung onto the fluffy-haired boy as she stared at him as well.

Akefia didn't look at them, he just kept his gaze on me, still smiling, now a bit with his teeth. I nodded and slowly smiled back at him. He laughed and finally looked at the other two teenagers at the table.

"It's Katsu's decision if he wants to tell or not."

I gave him a respectful nod and dinner went on, only this time it was a lot more quiet.

That night it was still a little quiet. Akefia and I laid on his bed, both of us staring at the ceiling in silence. It was strange because I figured once I relieved what was going on between Marik and I there would be a lot more controversy, but in fact both of my brothers took the news extremely well. Ryou jokingly said he knew I was a nancy all along, but I ignored his mockery and just sat back and watched Akefia slap him. My twin sooner or later apologized and actually gave me a hug, which was rare. Miho, too, hugged me. It was nice feeling this sudden welcoming warmth from my family, I just prayed it would stay this way.

"So do I ever get to meet this kid?" Akefia asked quietly.

I chuckled, "Of course, yeah."

It was quiet again, but by the rustling of sheets I knew Akefia had rolled over. I looked at him and saw him staring back. I rolled over too to face him and gave him a warm smile. He smiled back and sighed.

"It's strange because something inside of me really wants to beat you up," He chuckled. I rolled my eyes, "But that's just my inner evil talking."

"What inner evil? Akefia, c'mon, that's just your natural fatherly instincts kicking it," I laughed, "If Ryou or you came out to be gay I'd probably punch you guys with no second thought. It just shows how mature you are."

He raised his eyebrows at me and choked a laugh, "Fatherly?"

I pursed my lips and shrugged, "Well, yeah. It's what you've been trying to do all this time, protect me and Ryou as if we were your children or something. My god, what's wrong with me? I sound so cheesy tonight," I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"It's your inner gay talking," He joked and rustled my hair. I swatted his hands away and he laughed. "But still, that's really nice of you to say, Katsurou," He smoothed out my locks a bit before vigorously rubbing his eyes, "Fuck, I hate crying."

"Crying's good for you though, it gets everything out," I smiled lightly and dried his scarred cheek with the sleeve of my shirt.

* * *

"You miss them, don't you?" Marik asked.

I looked up at his sad eyes and shrugged, taking a bite of my sandwich and sighing. Marik touched the hand that wasn't occupied with food and slipped his fingers between mine. I examined his face and swallowed my food roughly. I wanted to eagerly grab him into a kiss but we promised each other to keep this all a secret for now, so I just squeezed his hand a little and watched his frown stretch into a half smile.

It had been almost a full week of being with Marik and I enjoyed every second of it. We didn't really get a lot of homework done due to the fact that every minute alone would be filled with mindless conversation or making out. I've gotten a lot more immune to the gentleness in Marik's actions. He always touched so softly whereas every time I grabbed him or attempted to rough house, he would get a little nervous. I couldn't understand why, but I knew he tried to deny his fears. But just what was he afraid of?

My mind snapped back to the Egyptian sitting beside me as a feathery soft touch of his fingers danced along the palm of my hand and up the inside of my wrist. I closed my eyes and instantly melted at the feeling. The blond halfheartedly chuckled, stopping the touches. I looked back at him and watched as he moved around the rice in his takeout container with the fork in his hand. He put it down and looked straight ahead.

"Do you think now's a good time to apologize?" He asked quietly, tilting his chin forward.

I looked over and saw, right on queue, Téa and Yugi walking toward us, hand-in-hand. I gnawed on my lip and then suddenly felt a great deal of nervousness wash over me when I saw Marik get up. I quickly grabbed his hand and he gave me a surprised look. I looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Please stay," I begged.

"You have to do this on your own," He turned and knelt in front of me, holding my shoulders and smiling, "You can do it. I'll just be waiting over by the score booth when you're done." He glanced around and quickly pecked my cheek. He hopped down the bleachers, greeting the couple before skipping away.

I watched him leave and hesitantly looked over at the couple approaching. Téa was looking at the ground, clearly upset, while Yugi looked straight at me, anything but humour in his expression. I respectively stood up and climbed down the rows of seats to greet them. Téa finally looked up, but then turned her head to see Yugi.

"Katsu, I heard what happened," Yugi said with a little frown in his tone, his eyebrows slanting upward in concern, "Is everything alright?"

I sighed and rubbed my neck, "No, nothing's alright," This made Téa glance at me with large blue eyes, "I want to apologize for how I've been acting lately. I wasn't being a really good friend and it didn't help none that I was having these weird mood swings all the time. And Téa," She blinked, continuing to look at me hopefully, "I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you for a while about what exactly had been going on with me, but I can assure you both that I'm starting to come to terms with myself."

"Come to terms with yourself?" Yugi repeated slowly.

I closed my eyes. Fuck. I completely didn't mean to mention anything about that. I tried to search through my head for excuses, but when I opened my eyes again, it was because someone had touched my arm. I looked at Yugi and saw him smiling. Téa was smiling too. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, but I was cut off by Yugi's chuckled.

"We know what's going on between you and Marik, don't worry," He grinned.

I clamped my jaw shut and gave them my most concerned expression, causing them both to break out in tiny giggles.

"Don't think we didn't see that little kiss on the cheek either," Téa winked.

Fuck. I peered over my shoulder at the score booth and then back at the pair. I sighed.

"Yes, okay, we're together," I rubbed my forehead in frustration, "Just please don't tell anyone, we kinda wanted to keep it a secret."

Yugi nodded, "Of course." He grabbed my hand and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Yeah," Téa grabbed the other hand and then linked hands with Yugi as well, "Friends will do anything for each other. We'll be here for you until the end, Katsu." Yugi nodded.

I pressed my lips together and then tried to blink back moisture. My god, maybe Akefia was right, my inner gay was _definitely_ trying to make a breakthrough. I watched as my two friend's faces twisted in horror at the sight. Tears spilled from my eyes.

"K-Katsu?" Yugi asked slowly, clearly concerned as he let go of my hand.

I pulled them both in for a hug and just sobbed. I knew my sobs were loud and ugly but I didn't care because I knew now that Yugi and Téa forgave me and that everything would be fine again. Especially now that they knew about the relationship and everything. Things were finally looking up for me. I pulled away from them to see their faces, now looking a lot more understanding and soft. I thanked them.

"Thank you for apologizing, Katsu," Téa pecked my cheek and patted my shoulder, "It really means a lot to me."

I nodded and wiped away the excess moisture from my eyes.

Yugi chuckled and then shrugged, "I guess we'll need to double-date sometime," He winked at me and Téa giggled.

"Don't push it, Moto," I narrowed my eyes at him and he through his hands up in surrender, laughing as he did. I smiled warmly at him though.

"Well, don't keep your hunny waiting," Téa grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, pushing me toward the score booth, "Go!"

I looked back at them and smiled. They smiled back and then turned and left, hand-in-hand. I sighed at the sight, but it wasn't a depressed or jealous or longing sigh, it was just a thoughtful sigh.

Nonetheless I walked to the end of the long bleachers and climbed the stairs. I knew at the top of those stairs a certain someone was waiting for me. A certain someone who probably had the keys to the score booth door as well as the storage room in the gymnasium. Being a teacher's pet it was obvious enough that Marik won those keys in appreciation and trust, so I just prayed that nobody was around to rat him out on abusing the key-holding responsibility.

I knocked on the closed booth doors and they swung open. I was grabbed by the collar of my uniform and pulled inside. My lips were evaded by soft ones. I tangled my fingers through Marik's hair and brought him as close to me as possible. He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and held me back. I raised an eyebrow and when I took a good hard look at him. I tried to speak but big violet eyes were suddenly lidded and thick eyelashes shielded them. He looked down at my shirt and so did I. I saw his fingers playing with the hem of my uniform shirt. I looked back up at him.

"So everything's good with your friends?" He asked in a low voice.

My heart beat sped up and I could feel a blush reach my ears. He was being so... _seductive_. Why all of a sudden? My breathing hitched and I suddenly forgot who my friends were when I felt hot lips on my neck.

"What if somebody finds us?" I whispered. I held my breath when I felt soft hands touch against my chest.

"They wont. I locked the doors." He grinned and then drew tiny circles on the fabric of my shirt, "I... I wanted to tell you something... it's a little embarrassing though." He touched the dreamcatcher that was hanging around my neck and frowned, trying to clearly avoid eye contact.

I raised an eyebrow at him nonetheless, "What is it?"

"I... I don't want to go all the way yet. At least, not right now. I want to give this whole relationship thing some time before we start... you know," He cleared his throat a little.

Did he mean... like... _all the way_, all the way? The thought made me a little uneasy but I kept quiet, looking down at his hands and gently cupping them with my own. He looked back up at me.

"So then why are you seducing me?" I asked quietly with a cheeky grin.

He smiled at me and rolled his eyes, "This was kind of a little... _experiment_." I raised my eyebrow and he chuckled, "That sounds bad, but all I need you to do is kiss me. It doesn't even have to be making out, just a-"

I silenced him with a kiss. It was short and sweet but it still left me breathless. Marik looked away from my chest again to stare wide-eyed at my face, also trying to breath. He chuckled.

"Do it again." He whispered, barely audible.

Without hesitation I lightly grabbed his waist and brought him close to me. We locked lips to naturally, moving smoothly along to our own made up rhythm. But something in the air was making me feel a tad bit uncomfortable, not to mention the way Marik was pressed up against me like that. It felt so oddly... exciting. And then I felt his hands on my chest again, but they quickly left and instead I felt my sweater tug me a little. I broke the kiss to see what Marik was up to and then completely froze when I noticed what he was doing.

My uniform jacket was unzipped and not once did Marik and I break eye contact. He just unzipped my jacket like it was nobody's business. I stared at him as he began to unzip his own. I grabbed his hands and stopped him from doing so, causing him to jump a little. I brought him close to me, our bodies practically touching. I took hold of his zipper and removed his jacket from off his shoulders. His cheeks were a little red by the time the blue uniform hit the floor. I shrugged my own jacket off. Marik laughed halfheartedly before taking hold of my hair and pulling me into another melting kiss.

Sooner rather than later the feeling of his scolding skin against mine was practically burning holes into my very soul. Our stomachs were pressed sweetly together and I could feel the muscles in his abdomen contract and extract as my tongue made its way past his lips. His hands ran up and down my back and the feeling of fingernails made me shuddered with the ecstatic feeling. This new experience caused me to get a little rough, spinning us both around and pressing Marik's back against the wall of the shack. A tiny noise escaped the Egyptian's mouth as the fingernails dug deeper into my flesh. I didn't care though, because quite frankly it felt extremely good. I let a rebellious hand trail down his side and I lightly touched his thigh.

And as I expected, his hands pushed at my chest and our lips parted. We both gasped for air. I knew he needed his space so I tried to take a step back but I wouldn't budge. Marik was holding my shoulders and his entire face was flushed red. I pulled my eyebrows together in concern.

"Are you... okay?" I asked through gasps.

He nodded quickly and swallowed roughly, "S-sorry, I'm just a little n-nervous." He giggled, his entire chest and neck flushed red, "Please d-do it again."

Before I could object Marik pulled at the dreamcatcher necklace, causing me to immediately dive back in for a kiss. I hesitantly trailed my hand down to his thigh again and I gave it a squeeze before dropping my other hand down to his bottom, grabbing hold of his tush and tightly grasped it. He whined audibly into my mouth, panting and grabbing at the skin on my back. His touching was becoming more and more rough by the minute and I could feel the excitement barrelling into my chest. His kissing deepened as well with the push of his tongue.

He then lifted himself off the wall and turned me around, slamming me into it instead. I opened my eyes in surprise. This was so unlike the blond. But moments later Marik's tongue left mine. His eyes were wide and his lips were a little swollen and parted. His cheeks red and his eyebrows slanted up toward the centre. He looked so beautiful... so _naughty_.

"We have to stop now," He gasped, leaning his head on my shoulder, "I'm sorry,"

"Don't apologize," I whispered back and wrapped my arms around him, lifting myself off the dash to hold him more properly, "Why are you sorry?"

"B-because I..." He sighed, "Because we went a little overboard."

"Did we?" I asked. He nodded, "You didn't seem nervous about it." His blush deepened and then he cleared his throat, "There's more to it, isn't there?"

He looked up at me and sighed, "I can't tell you, it's too embarrassing," He chewed on his bottom lip and disconnected the hug, looking down at the floor.

I grabbed his hands and gave him an assuring smile, "You can tell me anything."

He examined my face as if to weigh his options. He finally sighed, "Okay, but you have to promise not to laugh." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I promise. I'll take it to my grave," I put a hand to my heart and smiled.

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed.

"Me too!" I exclaimed back, causing him to smile.

"Okay, well," He cleared his throat and ran the toe of his shoe into the floorboards, "I'm kind of afraid of... _it_."

"_'It'_?" I could only imagine what _it_ was.

"Yeah, you know... _it_," He looked at me with a little nod. I raised an eyebrow. He rolled his wrists and then sighed in frustration, "Sex! I'm afraid of sex, okay?"

I was about to respond, but I remained quiet, realizing he wasn't yet done explaining.

"Like, I like doing _this_ with you," He ran a hand across my chest slowly, causing me to shiver in both excitement and coldness, "I like touching and kissing and hugging and stuff." He smiled worriedly at me, "But when I think about our relationship and other people's relationships... it just makes me feel like sex is a really big thing, you know? Like everybody is rushing to just get it done and over with. But I want this, _us_, to last. You know what I mean?"

I thought about this for a second. I could feel my body shivering from being exposed to the air for too long, but deep inside my gut there were a few crickets hopping around. I was nervous to talk about stuff as serious and confusing as this but I knew sooner or later there would be a time when I would do it too. It was just a tad uncomfortable talking about this with someone who you almost know for certain will be the first.

"There's no rush to have sex, right?" Marik peered at me through his eyelashes, a slightly worried expression on his face.

My insides relaxed. Just hearing those words made my entirety cool down, even the crickets stopped. I shook my head slowly, "No rush at all," I smiled. He smiled as well.

"I'm... I'm still a virgin, that's the only reason I mentioned it." He shrugged and kicked at the ground, his cheeks still rich with colour.

I chuckled at the concealed shyness, "Me too."

He raised his eyebrows and looked at me in the eyes, "Really? But you seem like the type who's been around, er-" He smacked a hand to his forehead and then shook his head, "That's totally not what I meant."

I laughed and touched his shoulders, "It's alright. Honestly, I haven't really had that many girlfriends, and the farthest I've ever gone was making out and touching a clothed boob," I snorted.

Marik laughed and then gnawed on his bottom lip, looking back down at my chest. He took in a shaky breath. I knew he was probably feeling a little uncomfortable and I felt bad. I rubbed his toned arms a little, grabbing his attention as I attempted to get rid of some of the goosebumps forming.

"Did you want to put your shirt back on?" I asked.

He shrugged and looked down at his chest, "Eh, not really." We shared a laugh and he looked back up at me, "Unless you want to."

The school bell rang, announcing that lunch was over. I rolled my eyes and shrugged as well.

"You wanna skip?"

"We shouldn't," He chuckled, grabbing his clothes from off the ground.

I smiled and touched his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed. I kissed his lips gently, slowly and softly, really feeling the smoothness of his honey-flavoured lips. When I pulled back to see his reaction, he kept his gaze low, and then giant violet orbs met my brown ones.

"Being a little late never hurt anyone, right?" He whispered, dropping his shirt back to the floor and flashing me his best bedroom eyes. I chuckled and grabbed him back into a deeper kiss.

* * *

**AN: Okay I lied. There will be a few more chapters, maybe one or two more. It's hard trying to fit a bunch of conclusions into one last chapter, to be honest. I hoped you enjoyed nonetheless! Reviews are lovely! :)**


	11. Water Lily

"So how did you and Yugi find out about us?" I asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow at the brunette who walked beside me.

She looked at me with sparkling blue eyes and grinned, "Well, Yugi and I were talking about you last week when he brought up the fact that you and Marik have been hanging out a lot. It was only made obvious when I once caught you two looking at each other in the cafeteria when I walked by. You had that look in your eyes, it was so similar to the look you used to give me way back when," She pressed her lips together and looked away, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" I asked after clearing my throat.

"For bringing up the past again," She rubbed her neck a little and then stopped walking when we reached her house, "I just want you to know though how happy I am that you found someone. And not only that, but someone who is willing to love you and look after you, unlike how I did."

"Téa..." I pulled my eyebrows together in concern. Her sudden change in subject was really dampening my mood, not that it needed to be any more dampened to be honest. I was already feeling the nervous tension from agreeing that Marik should meet my family that same evening, and now Téa was making me feel guilty about the past again. But I held my tongue from mouthing off. If we didn't talk about this now than we would never conclude anything.

"I'm sorry I said no, I truly am. I liked your company and I loved every minute we spent together, but it was my stupid head that made it so toxic, I can't-"

"Don't you _dare_ cry about that, Téa Gardner." I frowned at her. She looked surprised at this and quickly rubbed her eyes. I sighed, "I understand why you did it, and it wasn't because of you, it was because of the way I treated you. I never gave you the attention you deserved and it was because I was going through a tough time with the unfortunate happenings my family had to endure. If you want me to answer the question you asked a couple weeks ago, the answer would've been yes. Yes, we could have still been together, but the past is the past." I shrugged, "Look at us now though, we both have wonderful partners and we're both still the best of friends."

"Bakura..." She pressed her lips together.

"I'm sorry if I ever happened to hurt you before to make you change your mind about us, Téa." I pressed my lips together, trying hard not to think about the past. "You have Yugi now, and I know you really like him. And I know he makes you happy." I smiled. She seemed to examine my face before taking in a shaky breath.

"And if it wasn't for you introducing us in gym class, I would've never met Yugi." She sniffed, "Maybe he can help me let you go."

I stared at her. She still had... feelings for me? My insides turned violently but her sudden smile blew a hole through my clouded heart.

"We're best friends, Bakura, and just being that is good enough for me." She nodded, "I think I'm falling hard for Yugi."

I smiled slowly which made her smile back. I grabbed her into a hug. It was one of those awkward, lingering hugs, but it was still comforting and it put my nerves at ease for a bit until we parted.

"You should head home, get everything looking nice for your sweetheart," She winked and nudged my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and gave her a farewell. I then turned around to walk the rest of the road home. I stopped smiling as soon as I had to think of the dreadful evening that was ahead of me.

* * *

I sat idly by, on the couch, watching the TV. Well, I wasn't really sure what I watching exactly, but I was staring at the muted animation, twiddling my thumbs and bouncing my leg in anticipation. I was so nervous that at times I forgot to breath and sucked in some air, only to hold it again. I had offered to make dinner, but Akefia took it upon himself to order take-out, like that was classy.

I stopped my leg from bouncing, taking in another deep breath and letting it out slowly, calming down slightly. I had basically murdered myself earlier trying to clean up the house, and finding something decent to wear was a hassle in itself. I had just figured I'd put on a casual striped shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I figured Marik wouldn't wear anything_ too_ too fancy. I hoped.

But what if he did? Shit. I began bouncing my leg again.

"Oh my god, if you don't quit bouncing your leg like that I'm going to rip it off!" Ryou hissed, sitting on the floor beside me. Miho was mindlessly braiding his hair and watching the TV. I doubt she knew what was going on either.

"Sod off, Ryou," I growled.

"Guys, if you start fighting while Katsu's boyfriend's here I'll rip_ both_ of your legs off." Akefia said with a sigh, crossing one panted leg over another.

I couldn't feel happy that we finally got Akefia to wear some clothes because my stomach would not stop flipping and my chest would not stop feeling so damn tight. It felt almost like it was your first time presenting to the class about a topic that you knew wasn't in everyone's favour. You could see every student's expression and understand that they would have something to say. Critiques, as you would call it. But I knew it was only my brothers and that there was nothing to worry about, but it was still crazily upsetting.

"I hear something!" Miho exclaimed, getting up quickly and patting down her short yellow skirt, "I think he's here!"

My heartbeat quickened and I immediately got up too. Fuck, I was too nervous to even stand, my legs were threatening to give out. I took a step and then caught myself before I face-planted into the coffee table.

"Woah, you really are nervous, aren't you?" Ryou raised his eyebrows, humour ridden from his face.

"Uh, yeah," I huffed, "Just try to stay out of the way, alright?"

"Gosh, you're mean," He wrinkled his nose at me and walked away.

"I see a light! I see a light!" Miho jumped up and down excitedly.

We all looked at the curtained window as a bright light and the sound of a roaring motorcycle engine was present. I swallowed roughly and looked at Akefia, he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"Either the delivery man got a bike, or your little lover is here," He winked.

I flared my nostrils at the nickname, but ignored it when the engine was suddenly cut and the lights went out. I peered over at Ryou and Miho who were already standing around the entrance. I gnawed on my lip and hesitantly followed after Akefia as he went to join them. I wrung my hands together and walked toward the door, touching the doorknob and waiting silently for a knock.

The anticipation was killing me slowly and a million and one things were running through my head, all jumbling together into one big catastrophic mess. I tried my breathing exercises again and then the dreadful moment made itself so when three knocks were heard. I quickly looked back at the three young adults standing there, all both excited and eager. I looked back at the doorknob and then slowly turned and opened it, peering out the crack of the door at a tall blond boy with large, amethyst eyes and a wide smile. I smiled back and my stomach did flips.

"Hello, Katsu," He smiled.

"H-hello, Marik." I said slowly, taking in the outfit he decided to wear.

A black leather jacket and a pair of khaki pants. Okay, that was fine. Not too casual, not too formal. I liked it. I opened the door to let him in, but he instantly grabbed my face and pressed a small kiss to my lips. I was taken aback and frozen in place. He walked past me and I stared at the ground, wide eyed and shocked.

"You must be Marik," Akefia said. I snapped my head to look over, watching as my elder brother took a step forward and offered out his hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Akefia,"

"Nice to finally meet you!" Marik smiled back, shaking his hand firmly.

"I'm Ryou, the twin," He smiled sweetly and shook Marik's hand. I raised my eyebrow at how cutesy he was being now. Fucking deceiving brat.

"And I'm Miho, Ryou's girlfriend. Let me get your jacket for you!" Miho skipped over smiled.

And then my jaw locked and so did every other muscle in my body. It was like my world was going in slow motion the moment the bronze beauty unzipped his jacket and threw it off his shoulders. His shoulders. His arms. Everything was just so... _there_. And he was even wearing gold arm bands now, alongside his gold wrist ones. And... no. Just how _short_ was his vest? He actually decided to wear a_ crop top_?

His stance was so confident though, so forward. I almost melted at the sight of his tight and sculpted abs, and those gorgeous toned arms, but I tried to contain myself. Why the _hell_ would he ever _think_ about wearing such a thing without fucking _underwear_ to at least cover! My nervousness was slowly creeping up on me again, but it was only slightly. I knew everyone acknowledged the inappropriate shirt immediately, but it put my mind at ease for a while as they decided to ignore it. I silently thanked the angels.

We sat at the dinner table, me, Ryou, Miho, Akefia, and Marik. After much meaningless conversation that I couldn't help but drown out, Marik had touched my hand. It was a subtle touch but it made my heart beat radically and I couldn't help but smile at the Egyptian boy while he laughed and joked with my family. It was so relieving seeing how well he was getting along with my brothers, though I shouldn't have expected any less from the talkative boy. I couldn't believe how extremely nervous I was for introducing him, especially while he only knew the bad things I've said about my brothers. He seemed to completely let the facts go and actually took off his golden wrist bands around Akefia and left them in the kitchen to join the gang for a tennis match on the Wii.

The moment the blond and I had come to the conclusion that we would announce our relationship to our families was the moment when I truly came to understand how important Marik had become. How relevant he would be to every situation, every one of my problems. If I came home sad one evening, my brothers would immediately link it to me having problems with Marik, and it was going to be the same for him with his family as well. When I introduced Marik, Akefia was so glad to meet him, Ryou too. It just felt like the weight of the world has been lifted from my chest.

Marik dug into his food and finished it extremely quickly and I only realized this after I was finished my own meal. I touched his knee and he looked away from a chatting Miho to acknowledge me, giving me a huge smile. He didn't show one ounce of panic or tension. He simply placed his hand on mine and squeezed it a little, almost as if trying to comfort _me._ I had no idea what the dinner conversation had been about, but it seemed like it went rather well, especially when the next thing I knew was that I was sitting on the couch and watching Marik frantically swing the Wii console around, attempting to hit the tennis ball back into Miho's court.

"He's a good kid. Strange outfit, but a good kid nonetheless." Akefia said suddenly, a heavy arm dropping onto my shoulders as the weight of his body sank the couch slightly, "I approve."

"Thanks."

"What's wrong? You haven't said a word all night. Is it because you're jealous we took your boyfriend away from you?" Akefia winked.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, "No, idiot." I peered back at Marik and watched him sulk over being beaten. I chuckled, "I'm glad you guys like him. I really am."

"Yeah," The white haired adult nodded, "To be honest, I never thought Ryou would take the news lightly. _Now_ look at him," We both watched as Ryou took Miho's controller and started up a bowling match, laughing with Marik as the blond struggled to roll the ball properly, "It's like they're long lost friends."

I snickered and nodded in agreement. I never thought Ryou would be comfortable with it either, but it just goes to show how much I've misjudged my brother. Even though he always acted like an innocent bastard around strangers to hide his true cruelty, he was being quite outgoing and friendly with Marik, which I smiled at.

"Hey, I challenge _you_ next!" Marik pointed a finger at me.

I raised my eyebrows at his expression. He looked so happy. So extremely happy, panting with exhaustion and it made my heart pound. Before I knew it, Marik had grabbed both of my hands and hoisted me off the couch, the remote dangling from his wrist by the drawstring. He pulled me close to him and I felt full, wet lips against mine. When we parted, the room fell silent. My insides burned and a great nervousness washed over me once again when I realised everyone was staring at us in surprise. I looked back at Marik and saw he was still smiling, still happy, still breathless. I quickly got over our audience and slowly smiled, grabbing Marik's gorgeous face between my hands and kissing him back, a little more passionately.

* * *

"I like your brothers, and Miho too," Marik smiled, staring up at the ceiling, "It's a shame she and Ryo had to leave to get back to their residence so soon though."

We were both lying on my bed. God, how I missed my bedroom. It smelled a little girly from the cheap perfume Miho had sprayed everywhere, but I huddled closer to Marik to inhale his scent instead, to get every last bit of warmth engraved into my memory before he had to leave back home too. Marik was lying on his back while I was curled up on him, playing with the string of his lilac-coloured vest hoodie. An arm was scooped under my head, fingers tangled up in my hair, slowly drawing little designs through my locks.

"So all of you have the same hair? I've never seen so much white hair in one place at a time," He chuckled softly, "And Akefia... for someone who never goes outside, he sure as hell has a nice tan." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes but joined in and then moved my head back to look at the Egyptian's profile. He was so close to me, his warmth radiating from his skin. Long eyelashes patted his cheekbone as he blinked. Amethyst eyes glided over to look in my direction, and then his head moved. His lips were almost against mine as he smiled. He turned his body to face me and unwrapped his fingers from my hair to grab onto my hands. He glanced down at my lips and his smile softened. My insides instantly warmed at the gestures.

"This all feels so unreal, like I'm in a dream," He whispered, "I can't believe I get to be this close to you, to touch you," He ran a thumb over my knuckles and choked a laugh, "I sound so stupid, don't I?"

"Not at all," I whispered back, understanding and physically feeling his exact words, watching his eyes flicker back up to meet mine, "You stole the words right out of my mouth."

He took in a shaky breath and then nudged closer to kiss my lips ever-so-lightly, "Your lips taste like pasta, I forgot to mention before." He snickered.

"Your _breath_ tastes like pasta," I chuckled and caught his lips once again, nibbling softly on his bottom lip before looked back at him, "I could just eat you."

He smiled and then brought one of my hands up to his mouth, kissing the inside of my palm lightly. I shuddered at the feeling and bit the insides of my cheeks. I watched as his eyes stared directly at me. I almost jumped when I felt a warm and wet cavern tighten around my index finger. My insides burned and so did my face. What the fuck was Marik _doing_!?

I was about to pull away until I heard a sweet and soft love sound escape Marik's lips. My entire body froze. Did he just... _moan_? I watched as the boy's eyes fluttered closed, continuing to suck on my finger, his tongue making tiny swirling circles around the flesh. It felt strangely... _good_. I couldn't understand why though, it was almost like Marik _knew_ this would feel good. And by the look on Marik's face, how his eyebrows slanted upward in the centre and his cheeks crimson red, I knew he was enjoying this too.

By the time Marik stopped practically giving a blow job to my finger, the flesh was pruned. Marik's lips were tinted red and glistening with saliva. I didn't give it any time and quickly caught his beautiful mouth with my own. I had to admit that little fakey-blowy made me extremely aroused for some reason. I took Marik's hips and flattened him against the mattress, swinging my own leg over him and pressing my body against his. He moaned again. I smiled and took his wrists, pinning them above his head and watching his face twist up in lust. I hungrily licked my lips.

"You've been teasing me all night, you know that?" I growled, leaning down to kiss his burning neck, "I couldn't stop staring at your chest or your midriff and it's been driving me crazy." I peppered soft kisses across his collarbone and then released his wrists to fondle the zipper that held the soft lilac fabric together, "You don't even understand how many times I wanted to just rip this unfair vest off and have my way with you."

Marik didn't say a word, he just gnawed on his lip and watched me as I removed his vest. I pushed the fabric away from his chest and hummed in delight, diving down to kiss the soft and hard flesh of his chest. He whined a little, "I can't believe you're all mine."

"B-B-B-" Marik stuttered. I ignored the sounds and instead ran my tongue along his flesh, tasting the salt and sweet of his dark skin. Another wine, that was much louder than the last, erupted from Marik, "Bakura... p-please..."

My loins felt ablaze at the pleads as I began to trail lower, now to the spot that had been so eagerly staring me in the eye the entire night, "You're so nervous, it's really cute. Don't worry, I'll try to be gentle." The toned ripple of his abs, blushed, exposed. I pressed wet lips to it.

"W-wait, please. Stop, hold on a sec!" Marik squealed, hands roughly pushing my face away.

I immediately jumped back, away from his delicious skin. I stared at him with wide eyes, seeing the fear written across his face. I opened my mouth to say something, but then stopped when I noticed his hands were clasped around his mouth, his eyes glistening. Fuck.

"I-I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, very sorry, Marik," I said softly, slamming a palm to my forehead, "Fuck. I went too far again, didn't I?"

Marik didn't say anything, but at least he stopped himself from bursting out in tears. I sucked my bottom lip back into my mouth and then held out a hand. Marik took it without hesitation and I helped him sit up.

"N-no, I just..." Marik pressed his lips together, looking down at the sheets. "I... I really enjoyed that. I would have let you continue, but..." I raised my eyebrows and stared at him. Wait... what? He had a small, sad smile on his face, "I just... it's not the right time."

I nodded assuringly and smiled softly. He looked back at me and bit his lip.

"Maybe one day... when we're alone..." He said quietly, glancing toward the door. I immediately understood.

"He's not going to be leaving for a while," I sighed. It was the truth after all, "He hasn't left the house in over two years."

"Wow... that brings me right back to the whole him being so tan thing," He chuckled lightly. I rolled my eyes and grinned. "So about as long as I've been living here then." Marik said softly.

Right. Marik moved to Domino around two years ago, when I was too stubborn to get to know what kind of boy he really was and relied on nothing but rumours and first impressions. From Egypt all the way to Japan. What a journey... Then it occurred to me.

Egypt.

I let go of the boy and then touched my chest. The hard, ring-like pendant that hung around my neck... Marik brought it here from Egypt. I almost completely forgot about it. I quickly unzipped my sweater, pulling the dreamcatcher out from it and showing it to Marik. The blond smiled.

"You gave this to me," I stated, "You bought it in Egypt, your homeland, and gave it to _me_."

Marik nodded slowly, his eyes looking at me peculiarly.

"Ever since I've had it in my house, Akefia stopped having nightmares."

Marik smiled and shrugged, "It's a dreamcatcher, that's what it's supposed to do."

"Ever since I've had it around my neck, I've grown more attached to you."

Marik's smile faded, "You seem upset about that."

"No, not at all, but that's the thing; ever since I started wearing it, things have gotten better for me! People started complimenting me, Miho and I grew a stronger relationship, Tea forgave me for being an asshole, Mrs. Koa actually let me retake my math test, even Ryou started becoming nicer. And Akefia hasn't had a single nightmare since this thing came into our house!"

The blond stared at me for a while, eyes wide. And then a slow smile crept across his face and a skeptical eyebrow rose, "Are you sure that wasn't just coincidence?"

"Absolutely not! My life was in the shitter before, and now everything's finally turning around for me because of this thing!" I grabbed his shoulders.

He pressed his lips together, "Well, do you not believe in magic?"

"Magic?" I asked, letting his shoulders go, "Depends. If you mean like wizardry or something like that, then no."

"Really?" He frowned, "Cuz that dreamcatcher's magic, you know."

"Please, Marik," I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"I'm serious!" He furrowed his eyebrows, "You don't want to upset the ancient Egyptian Gods who put their very souls into that necklace, do you now?" He made ghost fingers at me that tickled against my bare arm.

"Stop it!" I laughed and playfully swatted him away.

"Okay, okay," He laughed and smiled at me. Then he cleared his throat and tucked a piece of golden hair behind his ear, "I had a lot of fun tonight, just to let you know."

I smiled back, "Good, I'm glad." I took in a deep breath and then blew it out slowly, "I had to admit I was pretty nervous."

"Yeah, you were shaking like a fucking leaf," He snorted, "But you should know by now that I have a way with people."

I rolled my eyes and tackled him, pushing him back onto the bed. I leaned over him, smiling. I kissed his lips tenderly before pulling away and brushing some soft hair from off his forehead. His beautiful face crimsoned a little, but he moved my long hair over to one shoulder and traced the layers with his eyes. I knew he was thinking about something, but I couldn't tell what. All I knew was that there was something I had to do before he went back home, and his very calming pet of my hair made my nerves dance.

"I got you a little something," I said with a cheeky smile. Marik raised an eyebrow and his smile quickly vanished when I crawled off him.

"Please don't tell me it's payback for the dreamcatcher, because I already told you I don't expect anything ba-" He quickly silenced himself when I pulled whatever it was I had hiding in the top drawer of my dresser. He was frighteningly quiet when I turned around to show him the brilliant blue water lily that was wrapped preciously with thin paper, a pale yellow ribbon tightened around it.

"I did a little research on flowers in the library and decided I'd get you this one, even though it's fake," I shrugged, "The Nymphaea caerulea, or otherwise known as the blue water lily, had a big connection to Egyptian culture in the past. It was a very popular flower, obviously beautiful too. It's said that, to the Egyptians, this flower was a representation of rebirth, the sun, and creation. To me, that's _you_, Marik." I approached the surprised and somewhat awestruck boy with nervous and shaky courage, holding out the flower to him. He slowly and silently took it with careful hands, looking down at it with fragile eyes on the verge of tears. "Undo the ribbon." I said quietly.

I could see the hesitation in Marik's movements as he stared at me for a while and then looked back down at the flower, unravelling the thin ribbon with utmost care. He took the ribbon off and then placed one of his hands around his mouth as he saw what was on the paper, choking on what I thought to be a laugh. I smiled sweetly at him as he began to cry, leaving the flower on his lap and covering his face from me again. I hated it when he did that. It was almost like he was ashamed of crying.

"You are my water lily, Marik Ishtar, and I would be honoured if you would join me as my date to senior year prom." I said quietly.

He didn't stop crying but his head was bobbing up and down slowly. I took it as a yes and smiled wider. I knelt down in front of him and ran my fingers along his hands. He removed them slightly to see me before stretching his lips into a larger-than-life smile.

"Yeah," He whispered, nodding again and dropping his damp hands to touch my face, "I would love to go with you."

We sealed it with a gentle hug and a small kiss before tearing away to look at each other. It was so comforting now, looking at him. The nervousness ran out of my body as fluently as a river.

* * *

**AN: ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO! I hope you guys enjoyed that! Reviews are lovely as usual! :3**


	12. Thank You

**AN: So this is the last chapter! Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers and followers and favouriters! I love you all and I hope you really enjoyed this story (: I think soon I'll be writing a Casteshipping story (Pharaoh Atem x Thief King Bakura) So if you'd like to have notice when that one comes, then don't hesitate to follow!**

**And now, on to the last chapter!**

* * *

The little neighbourhood that was so familiar to me all of these years had been visible from down the road where I stood. I was nervous, shaking under my uniform jacket as I walked slowly to get home. Tonight was prom night and Téa was already at her appointments for hair and nails, so I walked home alone. Dangerously crossing the street without looking around first. I couldn't function during school. Marik wasn't there. Maybe he had a hair and nail appointment too? I tried to chuckle at the thought but I couldn't even smile. Everything inside was stirring and the more I thought about what time it was, the more anxious I would get.

I got home to Akefia reading a newspaper at the table, back in his robe and slippers, with a coffee in hand. The situation felt like it was only morning, which put my nerves at ease for a while until I walked into the kitchen to grab a cookie. I accidentally looked at the time and ground my teeth together. Three hours left. I bit into the stale cookie and chewed thoughtlessly, unable to taste the chocolate through the acidic bile that rose in my throat. I swallowed the cookie and then choked, coughing violently to clear my airways.

"Are you alright? You look paler than usual," Akefia chuckled from the table, flipping the page of the paper and looking up at me.

"I-I'm fine." I wrung my hands together, feeling the clamminess, "Where's my suit?"

Akefia raised his eyebrows and smiled widely, "Hanging in my closet." He folded the paper and then got out of the chair to stretch his joints, "Man, you look like you're about to be sick, do you think you should really go? I mean, is it worth it?"

I gawked at him, what a fucking stupid question. Akefia got the hint and held his hands up in surrender, laughing. I rolled my eyes but then stopped. Maybe we shouldn't go, I mean, what if everyone laughs at us? We're going to be two guys wearing matching corsages, dancing together. I mean, how gay can you get? I shook the negativity out of my head and then slumped over the counter. Akefia rose a white eyebrow.

"You seem upset." He said quietly.

"Of course I am! What if we get picked on? Laughed at? What if Marik gets bullied?" I scratched at my hair in frustration, "Fuck, why am I regretting this now? This was the dumbest idea I've ever came up with!"

"My god, why do you even care?" Akefia growled.

I looked at him, angry, my stomach burning in both rage and guilt. But then I softened. That was a good question... why do I even care?

"I mean, you're in fucking senior year, you're going to graduate a day after that dance and then you don't have to see your classmates ever again! I would've thought you were more mature than this, Katsu!" He yelled, clearly angry, "Don't you like Marik?"

"Of course I-"

"Then go to that dance with him! Take a shower, comb that rat's nest you call hair, shave, get into your suit and go! Holy fuck." He ran a hand down his face and then his fingers lingered on the edge of his scar. He closed his eyes then. I wondered what he was thinking. "Just... go have fun. It's your last year," He looked down at the table, quiet now.

I examined his expression but it was hard to read. Nonetheless I nodded slowly.

"You're right."

He looked up at me, his purple eyes deep with sorrow. He removed his hand from his face and then straightened out his back, nodding firmly, "Don't let fear hold you back."

Now I understood.

_Fear_. The one thing holding Akefia back from everything he's ever wanted to do in life. Fear that drove him to committing crimes of theft just to impress those who threatened him. Fear that gave him that scar, this future. I understood.

"The suit is in my closet," He repeated, "Get washed up and then go put it on. I want to see before you head out."

I nodded and did as he said.

Putting on the suit was difficult. Not physically difficult, but mentally difficult. It took longer than expected just to button up the blazer, for my hands shook so badly that I kept missing the hole. I wondered what Marik would look like. I wonder what kind of suit he was wearing. Hopefully not a crop top. I chuckled to myself and then fell silent as I got the last button did. I looked up into the mirror and pressed my lips together, straightening my back and adjusting the collar. I've never worn a suit before, only dress shirts for special occasions. This was Akefia's suit though, so it was a little worn, but it still looked excellent.

I turned around to examine the whole uniform. Classic black blazer with three buttons at the bottom. It was a more modern tailcoat that was longer at the back. Under the tailcoat I wore a surprisingly still-crisp, white dress shirt with little black buttons that ran down the front, and tight black dress pants to pull the look together. The shoes were just the normal dress shoes I wore for school. I smiled at the outcome nonetheless, fluffing out my long, white hair that was washed and combed.

It was a strange feeling. Overwhelming glee mixed with hesitation and nervousness. All anger out of my system, not a hint of frustration growing within me like it used to. I could feel I had changed, and it was obviously for the better. How could someone so small become the only thing in the world that can take the pain and agony of constantly hating the world away? Was it really that easy? I sighed and looked over the suit once more, grabbing the boutonnière that was packaged nice and neat in a plastic container, just like in the movies. Apparently it was romantic, but quite honestly it just looked like a last resort throw-together. I didn't care though, because the flower inside was the one that I had given to Marik all the while ago. I had made another one to match his, so we could go to the dance together as a...

I paused and looked away from the flower, my insides swirling about. Dammit, not my bloody nerves again. I truly did feel sick to my stomach but I let it go and walked out of Akefia's bedroom. Even before I stepped into the kitchen I knew something was up. The lights were off and a single dim, flickering light was coming from the kitchen. I turned the corner hastily and rolled my eyes as a small vanilla and strawberry cake sat on the counter, one flickering candle lit on top.

"Happy _going-to-prom-as-an-openly-gay-man_ night! You deserve it," Akefia chuckled and gestured a hand toward the cake, "You gonna blow out the candle? I'm starving."

I sighed, but nonetheless blow the tiny flame out. The lights are flicked back on and I instantly glare at my older brother as I read what was written on the cake. In big, fat letters read the words '_GAY PROM'_.

Akefia snickered before I tackled him, but he was a lot stronger than me and threw me onto the stool, all humour gone from his face. We cut the cake and ate in silence. My chest ached though. It wasn't from nervousness, but it was from thinking about tonight. The plan was Yugi's idea. We were all to go away on a four-day trip to the beaches. His grandfather had a cottage near there so it was me, Marik, Téa, and Yugi who were going to stay there as a little graduation getaway before we all went our separate ways. Akefia found the idea to be excellent and even packed everything for me, but I was doing a lot of debating and had actually decided not to go.

"What's wrong?" Akefia asked

I looked up from my cake and snickered, "You're going to think I'm stupid."

"You know I always do," He winked, I sighed, "I'm kidding. You're not stupid, don't worry. Tell me."

"Well," I cleared my throat and looked away from the table, "I decided I'm not going to the beaches with Marik and the others."

"And why the hell not?" He furrowed an eyebrow. I gnawed on my lip and he choked a laugh, "No... you're worrying about me, aren't you?"

I looked at him and saw his expression was that of rage. I knew he would react this way. I sighed, "It's just... I have never left you by yourself at night before, except when I ran away a few weeks ago, but Ryou was there to protect you! I don't want you to have nightmares! I don't want to be away when you're screaming your lungs out, fighting for your life. I just can't." My voice broke at the last word and my throat closed up on itself.

Through my blurry, teary vision, I saw Akefia slowly grin, "That's just like you, Katsu." He chuckled, "You and Ryou are growing up so fast... You both have partners, soon you'll probably get married, and eventually move out. Who am I to stop you from living your life?"

I stared at him. I was about to say something, but instantly silenced myself. That was true, though. Sooner or later I'll want to go off to college or something, so I'd have to leave Akefia all alone here. A sinking feeling was in my stomach and I put the fork down. Purple eyes glanced at me and Akefia smiled softly.

"We don't have to talk about this now," He chuckled and got out of his seat. I watched as he walked over to the living room and grabbed something off of the table, "Tonight is your night. You go have fun with Marik, have fun with your friends, go to the beaches, live your life. When it comes time for the bird to leave the nest, well..." He approached me and stopped, giving me a sad smile and slipping something around my neck, "Than you know it was about time, right?"

I looked down at the dreamcatcher necklace that hung low on my neck. My chest tightened and I couldn't look back up at my brother, in fear of crying. But his hand grabbed my chin and lifted it. I had to look at him. His face wasn't sad, but he looked almost determined as he smiled.

"I love you, Katsurou. Thank you for always being there for me. You can't be my babysitter forever though, so for once in your life just stop worrying about me and go have fun. Be with your friends. I'll be fine." He said softly.

I nodded slowly and hugged him close. I knew he would be okay.

We stayed hugging for a while until a knock on the door was sound. My heart pounded and I quickly looked at the clock in the kitchen. There was still a good hour left until prom started. I pressed my lips together and peered up at Akefia who was looking back at me suspiciously.

"He's pretty early," He mumbled.

"I... I invited him over a little earlier." I scratched the back of my neck and hopped off the stool, walking slowly toward the door.

"Why?" He asked, not once leaving the counter.

I sucked in a sharp breath and opened the door to be greeted by the blond. I took a step back and swallowed roughly. Holy shit... Marik was... gorgeous. He was wearing a cream coloured dress shirt that was tucked into slim, black pants. A deep purple vest that was encrusted with golden thread patterns lined the deep v-neck, hems on his sleeves and on all four buttons that held the fabric together in front. He wore his arm bands as well, only this time there were five on each forearm. Three golden hoops encircled his long neck and golden teardrop shaped earring dangled from his ears.

It felt like a couldn't breath... he was so... there was no word to describe it. I just kept staring and couldn't make myself stop.

"Sorry if I'm a little late," He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then pulled back and gnawed on his bottom lip. He peered around me at Akefia, "Hi, Akefia! How are you? Oh, cake! Can I have a slice?"

He walked by me and that luscious scent filled my nose. I turned around to watch him walk away. He sat on the stool next to Akefia and I could see that even my brother couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Marik, you... I..." I tried to croak, but I just stopped myself from sounding like an idiot.

He looked over with piercing amethyst eyes and raised an eyebrow, a coy grin playing on his lips, it reminded me of the first time we met. I smiled back.

"You look amazing."

"You look quite stunning yourself," He sent a wink and dug into the cake, "Mmmm, strawberry."

Akefia kept staring until I walked over to nudge his shoulder. He looked back at me and clamped his jaw shut, probably not even realizing it was open in the first place. He cleared his throat and smiled back at Marik.

"So, Marik, why are you so early? The dance doesn't start for another hour or so." He asked, leaning his chin on his hands.

"Oh..." The blond put down his fork and looked over at me, "You didn't tell him...?"

"No, he didn't tell me anything," Deep purple eyes shot to me, "What are you hiding, Katsu?"

I looked between a curious face and a concerned face. Two shades of purple orbs piercing into my soul. I took in a deep breath and then let it out, looking down at the counter.

"I... I was going to take Marik to meet mom..." I said quietly.

There was a silence. A deep, agonizing silence that made my heart ache. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that Akefia was being quiet, or that Marik was, I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I was regretting telling my brother, and I knew his response would be-

"Okay."

Wait, what?

I snapped my eyes up to Akefia and saw his face was serious. I opened my mouth to say something, but I forgot what I was even going to say. I was stunned. He's allowing me to visit mom? I felt nervous again.

"I mean, you were going to go visit her anyway, right? Even without my consent?" Akefia chuckled, "Besides, it's been a while, and I bet she'd want to hear about what happened and everything," He winked over at Marik again and I internally wished he would stop doing that.

"Thank you," I nodded, looking over at the blond, "You ready then?"

Marik nodded, shoving the last bit of frosting into his mouth before hopping off the stool, swallowing his food, and pressed a kiss to my brother's cheek. I narrowed my eyes at Akefia when he wriggled his eyebrows at me. Disgusting.

It's been ages since I've visited my mom. I couldn't count the months right off the bat but it certainly was a sad fact when the only excuse was not having the emotional stamina to face her. She was very judgemental now, she always glared at me and Ryou and every single time we would visit, she would respond with "You should cut your hair", and nothing more. Akefia gave up visiting her and I understood why. She wouldn't even look at him.

It was no wonder my older brother felt the way he did, like it was his fault everything happened. But I knew he also still loved her.

The moment Marik and I pulled up outside of the tall, brick apartment-like building, the motorcycle engine died down and we got off. I took in a deep breath. There were quite a few people outside the building, either smoking or just talking with a couple nurses. The entrance looked welcoming for some reason, like it was calling me forth, trying to wrap it's warmth around me. I closed my eyes and pretended, for once, that everything was going to be okay.

"Bakura?" I heard Marik's voice echo through my brain, the hot feeling of his fingertips against my arm slowly lulling me to a dreamlike state.

I opened my eyes though as a breeze blew freely through my hair. I needed to get this over with. I took Marik's hand a little too aggressively in mine and pulled him through the double doors. I could hear him arguing with me, but it barely stalls my movements. In and out. That's all. Just get in, then get out.

"I'm here to see Sakura Bakura," I exclaim to the lady sitting at the front desk.

I think I startled her by the way she looked up at me, holding a hand to her chest. She glanced at me and then looked over at Marik, her expression softened and she just simply nodded. After I gave her my identification, she led me and Marik into another set of double doors.

Marik was clinging onto my arm now, finally he was getting a bit nervous, and I didn't blame him. There were a lot of loonies looking at him, staring and mumbling remarks under their breaths. They used to do that a lot with Ryou, and one of the women actually touched his arm and said he was beautiful just like her daughter. It made me want to laugh, but the hurt expression on the women's face made me think otherwise. I've learned to ignore the strange behaviour coming from the people around us and finally made it through a single door. The secretary nodded to us as she opened the door.

"It's almost time for bed, so you can have a few minutes to talk. Remember the precautions I told you last time, Katsu?" She asked, raising a razor thin, blonde eyebrow at me.

"Yes, Miss Kujaku." I bowed slightly.

"Please don't upset her," She looked at me with big, wary, magenta eyes, "She's been asking about you a lot."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. She didn't leave the room though, which I was thankful for. Mai was a regular employee, she had a few jobs beforehand, including being a nurse and a guard, but after having an injury with one of the tougher patients, she resigned for head secretary. She explained to Marik the rules before letting us any further.

I told Marik to wait a second, looking over at my mother sitting in a chair with a book in her hands. She didn't look like she was reading the book though, her eyes weren't moving across the pages like they usually did. She was always reading when I came to visit, which I always thought as strange. I didn't argue though and I slowly approached the tiny brown table that had her medication neatly arranged in her weekly pill separator. When I approached her and looked at her frozen eyes, I couldn't help but frown. She appeared almost lifeless. Her eyes were far away, a pulsating hazel colour that were glazed over and still. I swallowed the lump in my throat when I noticed her bandaged up hands. She must have tried to "break out" again. I was told she often did that.

I pulled the adjacent chair out and slowly sat down, not once looking away from her. Her white, wispy hair fell in chunks over her face, hiding. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth before looking up at me. I relaxed a bit when I saw her expression change from nothing to sadness. Her face crumbled up and tears streamed down her cheeks, her porcelain skin becoming blotchy and red. She wrapped her arms around me, throwing her book to the floor and hugging me close. I hugged her back and let her cry, peering over at Marik who was giving a small smile.

"Hi mom." I whispered, touching her hair softly, "Tonight's my prom night."

She pulled away to look at me, smiling and touching a calloused and bandaged hand to my face. She held my face between her hands as she stared at me. I touched her hands and smiled.

"I'm happy now." I say softly, watching a smile spread across her face, "And I have someone I'd like you to meet."

I smiled at Marik who instantly pressed his lips together. I could tell he was extremely nervous by the way he stood there, balancing on one foot, hands clasped in front of him. Mai gaeve him a little nudge and he almost fell over. I laughed.

As the blond teenager moved toward us, my mother turned her head and looked at him. He didn't stop walking, but his pace surely slowed down. Mother wasn't smiling anymore.

"Mom," I said softly, letting her hands go to stand up beside the tall boy, "This is the boy who helped me, who made me happy. He is a very special person in my life right now-" Mother's expression was unreadable, but it was somewhere between concern and sadness. Nonetheless I continued, "Marik, this is my mother, Sakura Bakura. Mother, this is Marik Ishtar. My boyfriend."

Marik stuck out his hand slowly toward her with a warm but faltering smile, "Hello, it's so nice to meet you, Missus Bakura."

The silence was painful. Mother just stared at his face, and then looked down at his hand, then back up at his face again. Marik pulled his hand away and held his arm shyly, looking at me with an_ "I don't know what to do now"_ look. I watched, though, hopefully, as my mother continued to stare. And then she smiled. I physically sagged with relief and smiled at Marik, watching as he choked back tears. My mother grabbed his hand and put her forehead to it as a sign of respect, then planted a small kiss to his knuckle. Marik began crying and I could feel my own tears forming.

It was rare to have my mother accept friends of mine. It took her a while to get used to Yugi, and even longer for Téa, but when she showed her respect for Marik I instantly knew he was special. I always knew he was special though, so it was no surprise. As we entered the prom banquet hall, we were instantly greeted by Téa and Yugi, who were dressed in simple and classic black and red attire.

Marik and I didn't dance together until the very end. The stares and the negative attention were barely noticeable as I held tightly onto the Egyptian boy and danced to the soft music. Do what makes you happy, Akefia once said.

I pulled away from Marik to look up at him, amethyst eyes that never left me, never gave up on me, always gave me hope. I smiled softly at him and felt his hand pet my hair. We touched our foreheads together and stayed like that a while, our dancing dying down quickly to almost a soft sway. I felt his heartbeat, almost heard it through the loud music. I wanted to stay like this forever, but when a soft tug of my hair made me raise my head, half-lidded eyes looked back at me in the darkness. I reached up to touch the side of his face.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"For what?" He asked, his voice like honey in my ears.

"For everything," I whispered back and sealed his lips with my own.

_Do what makes you happy._

That's exactly what I was planning to do.

* * *

**AN: So again, I want to thank everyone for their support! I hope you enjoyed this story! I really like writing it, even though it was extremely cheesy and cliché at times. I love thiefshipping and I wanted to write something fluffy for a change :P**

**This chapter seemed a little rushed in my opinion, but I honestly didn't want to extend this story any further and have two extremely little chapters. I would just like to get this chapter out with the general idea, tying most of the loose ends together and leaving a warm and fuzzy feeling deep inside you all.**

**So Bakura's mom is not dead, she is in a mental institution if you couldn't figure it out. And she is diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, if you were curious. (: Akefia also had PTSD, but he was never diagnosed by a doctor. **

**In the end, Bakura's "mean guy"-"stubborn guy" characteristic is vanquished, thanks to wonderful OOC Marik Ishtar, which caused Bakura to go all OOC. (So sorry for all the OOC-ness in this story, I really did try to make their characteristics as similar as possible, but character development and fluff needed to desperately happen, lol).**

**I promise that my next Yu-Gi-Oh!fic will have the original characteristics as the characters in the show and will remain as plausible and close to the actual storyline as possible!**

**Thank you again, my wonderful, beautiful, most diabolical readers! Love you all! **


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